


Twenty Years Later

by GrumpkinVicky



Series: Millicent Avoids a War The Multiverse [10]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alcohol, Almost Orgy, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Breaking and Entering, Coming of Age, Fluff and Crack, Hags, Horny Teenagers, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Parent-Child Relationship, Recreational Drug Use, Teen Crush, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Vandalism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:15:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21935821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrumpkinVicky/pseuds/GrumpkinVicky
Summary: Millicent's magical portal doorway has brought the trio back to where they just left, but twenty years into the future."Short Story" over 21k.
Relationships: Everyone/Everyone, Millicent Bulstrode & Luna Lovegood, Millicent Bulstrode & Severus Snape
Series: Millicent Avoids a War The Multiverse [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1531325
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you need a quick rundown as to what happened in Millicent Avoids a War which is the first story in the choose your own ending verse, here you go. 
> 
> Millicent is a hag, or will be when she hits 17. The summer after her OWLs her guardian Severus Snape, announces that after this year she won't be able to return home with him. Millicent puts a plan into place when he hands over his personal library. Using her handy pocket dimension Hag Bag inherited from her Hag mother, she builds up a store of what she needs. Including the restricted section of the library.
> 
> Over the course of a year, she crafted a Hag only ritual to create a magical doorway to escape the upcoming war to safety. On the last day before the feast, she steals the library, interrupts Draco who Severus had made her promise not to kill up until this point. She ties him up, alerts Luna who has been lurking in the background and is pulled into a meeting with the Headmaster and Severus after she accidently trips up the Headmaster who came up behind her. The headmaster, seeing his plans have now changed, still dies but this time only Potter thinks Snape did it (Neville was following them because hormones). Luna had given Millicent Potters cloak, and Millicent ends up with the stone. 
> 
> After a bittersweet farewell with her guardian, Millicent uses her ritual only for Neville and Remus to also come with her (who followed to make sure they weren't attacked by death eaters). 
> 
> It's better in the story but also - who has time amirite?

Remus was looking dubiously at Millicent as they started to leave the forest. Only for Neville to start cheering as they saw the very familiar sight of Hagrid’s cottage. Millicent merely sighed. And then rallied, as coming down the hill towards them was the very familiar sight of her guardian.

“Professor!” Millicent forgot herself in the joy of a fellow Slytherin having become resigned to the fact that she was destined to be with only Gryffindorks for the rest of her life. Granted only two, and by far not the most objectionable of them either, but still…

“Miss Bulstrode, it would appear the Divination Professor was correct once again.” He stood with his hands clasped firmly behind his back, as a figure wearing a blue robe with stars scattered all over it, appeared running down the hill at great speed. 

“Millicent!” The figure carried on running, barrelling into Bulstrode with a happy squeal, wrapping it’s much tinier arms around her, as Millicent stared at her guardian in horror.

“Professor Lovegood, you will release Miss Bulstrode this instant.” Professor Snape hissed, looking somewhat horrified by the occurrence.

“Sorry Severus, sorry Millicent! We’ve waited so long for you to come back, but I knew it would be today, if a little later.” Millicent stepped back to fully look at the menace who had attacked so unjustly. They did look a little like Luna, Lovegood even, just older. Much older. Not as old as the Professor, but the childish plumpness to her features had gone.

“Snape,” Remus said, frowning as Neville now found himself being hugged by the older Lovegood.

“Lupin, it would appear that you weren’t after all killed by the enemy.” The Professor sniffed, before hissing at Luna again. “Professor Lovegood, if I have to tell you again to release a student.”

“Sorry Severus, but it’s been so long!” Luna beamed at them unrepentant, clasping Millicent’s hand and patting it like a demented aunt as Millicent stared at her guardian for help. Severus merely pretended not to see, instead beckoning them to follow.

“We will be contacting your parents Longbottom, they will be relieved that Professor Lovegood was correct about this as she was about you not being obliterated into dust.” Professor Snape led them through the same entrance that Millicent had left through not more than a few hours earlier.

“My - my parents Sir?” Neville stumbled, Remus, catching him as he turned pale.

“Oh, yes, well there have been great strides at St Mungos. Amazing what happens when you don’t have madmen roaming the streets making everyone scared of their own shadows.” Professor Snape muttered softly, with Remus stumbling at the words.

“The war is over?” Remus asked.

“Yes, of course it is, keep up Lupin.” Professor Snape shook his head at him.

“It’s been five hours Snape!” Remus snapped.

“It’s been twenty years, surely if you couldn’t tell by looking at me, you could by looking at Professor Lovegood. You did teach her after all. Was it three or twenty-three years ago.” Professor Snape mocked gently.

“Sir?” Millicent asked quietly.

“Miss Bulstrode, you will have a home with me as it should be.” He replied quietly and she relaxed, happy to follow along silently.

They were led through and into the Headmasters office, avoiding the great hall, even as the sounds of children chattering echoed through the corridors. It had changed a lot in the last day, or twenty years, depending on the perspective. Gone were the gaudy colours, instead tranquil creams and the very subtle accents of greens in leather with comfortable chairs around a small coffee table laden with drinks and sweet treats.

“I’ll play mother, oh sorry Neville.” Lovegood had gone to pour, before dropping the pot, as Professor Snape let out an exasperated sigh.

“Professor Lovegood, whilst I agreed that you would be there to greet the travellers, perhaps you should contact Longbottom’s parents so that they may collect him.” Professor Snape said with far more patience than Millicent would have ever believed of him.

“Of course Severus, do you want me to contact the others?” Millicent marvelled at the definite innocence in Luna - Lovegood’s voice.

“I suppose once the Longbottom’s elder are alerted so will everyone else. Do as you must.” Lu Lovegood left after being dismissed, patting both of the teenagers on the shoulder.

“Snape, we won?” Remus asked, Millicent merely rolled her eyes at the question, it was pretty obvious.

“Lupin, perhaps I should be sending for the Matron? Of course we won, do you think that Longbottom’s parents would be alive if the Dark Tit won? Do you think Professor Lovegood would be here if the One Who Had No Nose won?” Millicent coughed to hide the snort of laughter, whilst Neville continued to look shell shocked.

“It’s been twenty years, surely you could have lost the childish feud by now. If anything, it should be me who is angry about the whole affair.” Remus snarled, as Millicent decided to spend time investigating the pot of tea on the table.

“Perhaps I am merely indulging, it has been twenty years after all.” Millicent coughed again, this time ducking to avoid her guardian’s gaze.

“Sir? My parent’s are really?” Neville asked, still in a daze.

“Yes Longbottom, in fact, why don’t you go and get washed up as I’m sure they will be here any moment now. They had threatened to move in until we assured them we would inform them the moment of your return.” Professor Snape gave him a nod, before pointing him to the small washroom just off the office.

Then there were three. A werewolf, an almost Hag, and her guardian. Millicent wondered if she should faint so as to be sent to the Matron to avoid being the only thing between the two men.

“Did anyone not make it?” Remus asked slowly, with Millicent wincing, even as she could see the reassuring half quirk from her guardian.

“Yes.” Came the reply, “He Who Had an Unnatural Relationship with His Snake, didn’t make it.” He paused, as Millicent had given up coughing and was busy trying to stuff her fist into her mouth to stifle the snickers.

“Perhaps we should send for Matron for Miss Bulstrode.” Remus stared at her, even as she tried to turn her back to them as her guardian’s half quirk just set her off even more.

“Perhaps Miss Bulstrode would like to go and see the Matron.” Millicent stood immediately at being allowed to leave, collapsing into giggles the other side of the door. 

Madam Pomfrey looked almost exactly the same, if a little more starched than before, but greeted Millicent with a hug and then a full scan.

“You my dear girl, well, he missed you greatly, hardly smiled at all since you went missing.” Millicent sat still at the scan, giggling at the idea of her guardian hardly smiling, he half quirked or fully quirked, she had never seen him actually smile. Still, it was nice to know he had missed her, as much as she had been missing him when she thought she would never see him again.

“Now, will you be letting Severus fill you in, or do you want some of the juicy details he’ll never tell you himself?” Madam Pomfrey asked.

“Well, if he’ll never tell me himself, then it would only stand to reason I would need to find out from other sources.” Millicent was blaming the overall relief of being somewhere safe and familiar for her to hide her glee at the situation.

“Well reasoned. Well, he won’t tell you but the man is a hero, an absolute, war-ending hero. He managed to achieve with so little innocent bloodshed, what we have been trying to do for years.” Millicent let out a happy noise and then ducked her head in embarrassment.

“No need for that child, it was a great relief. He was the one who killed Voldemort in the end, the Prophet were most upset about it, he refused to give any interviews and wouldn’t attend the awards ceremony. Oh, though he will tell you about that. He was very proud of you, although you must realise that.” Millicent found herself being wrapped in a warm embrace before given the all-clear.

“Now, you will, of course, be staying with Severus, so we will be seeing a lot of each other, I have been doing more research as to what your inheritance will entail, and Professor Sprout will be pleased to finally have a use for the amount of Mandrakes she’s been tasked with growing.” And with that Millicent was herded back towards the Headmasters office.

There was a moment where Millicent would happily admit she almost turned tail and headed back out to the forest when she opened the door to a very full room of adults. Neville was happily being embraced by what Millicent could only assume to be his parents, with a much older woman wearing a hat she thought she recognised as the hat Neville had imagined on her Guardian back years earlier.

“I told you it was all Bulstrode’s fault!” If nothing else, a much older Potter pointing at her brought everyone's attention to her return.

“Harry Potter, you apologise right this moment.” Mrs Weasley was looking better, oh, no, it was Weasley younger. 

“Mum, Dad, it wasn’t Milly’s fault.” When had she told Neville he could call her Milly.

“Harry, Millicent had instructed us to not come closer, it was merely a tragic accident we were swept into the ritual with her,” Remus replied, as Millicent stared at him.

“You stepped through the doorway! It wasn’t a tragic accident, you followed me I told you not to and you did. Of course it’s not my fault.” Millicent said, unable to stop herself at the gall of the man.

“Well, what’s done is done,” Remus replied, with her guardian giving her the same look he did when she was considering killing Malfoy.

“I would prefer if this wasn’t turned into one of those dramas on the wireless. You can do that in your own homes, which you can all return to. The missing have returned, and other than Longbottom junior, I don’t expect to see you at the school unless summoned again.” Professor Snape spoke softly.

“Sir?” This time both of the teenagers spoke at the same time.

“It may have been twenty years, but as Lupin so helpfully pointed out, it has only been a few hours for you. You will need to complete your education and become functioning members of society, unlike some I might mention.” Millicent couldn’t help but smirk as he looked at Potter who was bright red.

“I think perhaps we should let the Professor-” An older looking Granger started to speak.

“Headmaster.”

“Sorry, Headmaster have his office back, Neville isn’t the only child who returned,” Granger said, smiling at Millicent. Millicent wasn’t too sure about the smile, it was unsettling as if Granger liked her, and her Guardian wouldn’t approve if she put her in a headlock to stop it.

“Remus, you must come back with us, Grimmauld place is yours, but no one’s been in it for years.” Potter was then thumped by his Weasley. “Sorry, Miss Bulstrode. Nev it’s great to see you back, we’ll sort out meeting up over the summer.” And with that half the room emptied, with Remus promising to return for a check-up with Madam Pomfrey.

Millicent found herself being hugged by Longbottom’s mother and had her hand shaken firmly by the father. 

“Mum said we’ll see you in the holidays, because of well… but Professor Snape said he won’t take it as a betrothal, so um.” Millicent stared in horror at Neville who had started to babble at her.

“I think perhaps Longbottom should be taken home?” Thank Merlin for her Guardian who stepped in before Millicent found herself in a binding contract with the idiot who didn’t know how to listen to simple instructions.

Then there were two, the feel of the wards closing around them as he bid her to stand before walking around her slowly.

“The Matron gave you a clean bill of health?” He asked softly, his hands trembling by his sides.

“Yes, Sir,” Millicent replied, before he pulled her into a warm embrace, he hadn’t gotten any less bony since the last hug merely hours before. 

“Good. Now, we can delay the inheritance if you wish by a year, I have suppressant potions ready for you to start taking.” It’s what she liked about him, straight to the point.

“Do you want me to?” Millicent wasn’t too worried, she quite liked the idea of finally being a Hag, but he was her Guardian after all, even if once she hit the grand old age of seventeen he would have little legal control over her.

“Of course not child, but, it might be a lot to go through in such a short space of time.” He settled them down on the chairs again, pouring her a drink.


	2. Chapter 2

Three weeks later, and the fourth time that Neville had been to see her, repeating the same thing again and again.

“Milly!” Millicent still wasn’t sure why he had decided it was fine to call her that but had given up correcting him as he just thought she was joking. “Milly, Professor Snape has said if we wanted to, we could have our own private rooms.” 

It was true, he had, Millicent didn’t have the heart to tell Neville hers was in the Headmaster’s quarters. She had found herself susceptible to the puppy eyes from Neville every time he learnt something that didn’t fit his newfound innocence. Millicent was sure if her parents had miraculously reappeared, she wouldn’t suddenly believe the world was made of sugar and spice. 

Her Guardian didn’t help either, he had mellowed, a lot. She’d had some inkling with how he’d reacted to Lupin, she couldn’t call him Remus any more, not after catching him in the buff coming out of the prefects’ bathroom. She’d heard someone else in there, but Millicent had discovered very early on living at the school with her Guardian the professors were all sex-mad. All of them, it was like they had nothing better to do. Although come to think about it properly, they probably didn’t when the children were away.

“Milly!” Fucking Neville had found her in the clearing, where she’d been communing with nature, and ignoring the fact that the Matron had entered the Headmaster’s bedroom and the silence ward had gone up. No, she wasn’t thinking about it. Nor was she thinking about how steamy the greenhouses were. If she was ever Headmistress, no, she would never, but if she was she’d insist on all of them being neutered.

“Longbottom.” It was clear he wasn’t going to leave her alone, even if she pretended not to see him.

“Milly, you know you can call me Neville now, or Nev, or Nevi if you want.” Millicent wasn’t sure if she’d be in trouble if Neville didn’t return to the castle. It was probably a yes, the Longbottom parents seemed to be pretty keen on him.

“How did you find me?” Millicent needed to find out so she knew who to scowl at.

“The Headmaster said that you needed company.” Millicent debated in her head the wisdom of scowling at her Guardian even if he did seem softer now.

Millicent had been sulking again, no not sulking she didn’t sulk. She was busy pondering how unfair it was that now her Guardian was the Headmaster, and she had a mother figure who actually seemed to care about her. They had banned her from the Quidditch pitch unattended. It was most unfair. It had nothing to do with the fact that Oliver Wood had turned into a fine specimen of a man, and was busy running flying drills with Auror recruits, who looked fine in their little uniforms. 

Technically she was 36, but apparently neither Madam Pomfrey or her Guardian would believe it. She had been thoroughly embarrassed when he had paraded her through with a long lecture as to how she was his child and underage, and anyone caught even looking in her direction would be dealt with. He’d even warded the pitch to blast a siren when she was there so she couldn’t even sneak in whilst the two of them were “occupied”. 

It wasn’t fair.

Neville didn’t help matters either, he had decided that she was going to be the future Mrs Longbottom, and had been sending her courting gifts. Millicent was half tempted to run away into the forest and never return, other than the blasted wolf kept stopping her. Also, she was blasted well sure that they’d put tracking charms on her after she’d tried to sneak away at the Alley when the Professor had taken her to get school supplies. 

It wasn’t that she hated the situation, but it was hard, everything was the same and then it wouldn’t be. If she was honest with herself, and that wasn’t something she was happy to admit, it was why she hadn’t battered Longbottom. 

Longbottom had faced the same reality that Millicent had. Remus didn’t seem to be too bothered by the fact everyone had aged twenty years, but Neville felt it. In the way that when they saw each other, they would always look a little relieved. Even if Millicent wouldn’t vocalise it. 

Even Luna, Professor Lovegood, was somewhat comforting to see when she wasn’t panting after Remus. It wasn’t fair. Everyone in the place got to make out like rabbits, and she was banned. Well, not banned, but having the Hero of the Century glaring behind her shoulder had put many of the recruits off. It didn’t do much for her awakening libido either truth be told.

The two time-travelling teenagers had been offered the chance to resort, Millicent had glared as if she would fit anywhere but Slytherin, though Neville she was sure should have been a blasted Hufflepuff. The hat disagreed with Millicent, he was still a Gryffindork. She could use it as an excuse why she couldn’t possibly accept his suit. 

Millicent had overheard a conversation she was very sure she shouldn’t have and had to shove her fist in her mouth to stop from howling with laughter. She’d taken to lying behind the overly stuffed sofa in the study because she wasn’t going to sit on it. No matter how many cleaning spells the house-elves used. And the chairs were fine for a few hours but after that the occupant would feel the overwhelming urge to leave. She’d already embarrassed herself once that week by being herded away from the strapping half-dressed recruits who were cluttering up the great hall. She was all for cost-saving measures, but what was the point if she wasn’t allowed to appreciate them.

She’d been lying stretched out behind the sofa, reading another modern history book that her Guardian had tasked her with reading to get updated with the missing twenty years when the door had gone and both her Guardian and Remus had walked in mid-conversation. 

“As Minerva has retired, well, I accept,” Remus said, Millicent was a little confused but apparently not as confused as the Professor.

“What are you talking about Lupin? Has Luna seen something?” The Headmaster asked sounding only a tad snappish.

“Well, you are down a Head of House for Gryffindor. And Luna did say you were having trouble with the still revolving door of DADA professors.” Millicent rolled her eyes, it had been a topic of conversation at many meal times between the Professor and the Matron.

“We are not down a Head of House, Minerva was replaced of Head of House twenty years ago. We weren’t just waiting for you to return, in all honesty until Luna mentioned it we all assumed you would never return.” Millicent could hear her Guardian mutter the latter.

“Oh, but Luna said there wasn’t a Head at the school, nor for Slytherin?” Remus asked, Millicent thought she heard a hint of embarrassment.

“It is the summer holidays, I will have a word with Professor Lovegood for mischief making.” Millicent bit her lip to try and quell the giggles at the now peevish tone.

“No need for that, I must have misunderstood,” Remus said quickly.

“As your new fling - really Lupin, she was your student…” 

“She’s now only a couple of years younger than me. Hardly doing anything wrong now am I.” Millicent noted with some curiosity that far from sounding insulted the wolf sounded smug.

“Well, regardless, as your new fling has failed to inform you, Matriarch Weasley is the current Head of House and has been for the last twenty years and has agreed to be so until the last of the Weasley brood have passed through these walls.” There was a pause as she could almost hear Remus processing what he’d just heard. “I agree, the woman was an utter idiot to accept the terms, but well, it does mean we are more than fine for a Head of House for another hundred years yet.” 

“Molly Weasley?” Remus asked. Millicent wasn’t sure if he’d been dropped a lot as a child, Neville had, maybe it was a trait all Gryffindorks had.

“Well it is her fault after all, and she is at least able to handle multitudes of boisterous children without having a breakdown. For Slytherin, we opted for a more rounded set of circumstances.” Millicent let a grin spread over her features, it was something she had rejoiced in.

“Don’t tell me, you have Bellatrix, no Lord Voldemort as the Head.” Millicent stopped herself from making a catty noise at the snark from Remus.

“Close, no, Lady Zabini rules Slytherin ably aided each year by an upcoming former notable Slytherin. We are proving year on year that Slytherin is a noble house with prospects.” She could hear the pride in her Guardian’s voice.

“Isn’t Lady Zabini?” There was a quiver of hesitation in Remus’s voice.

“Nothing was proved, including under veritaserum. That is the last time you will make reference to such things, we are very lucky to have a Head with this amount of calibre. Do you think it was easy wooing the woman, Minerva delayed her retirement two years because of her commitments.” Millicent was especially looking forward to making her acquaintance, 9 husbands and no repercussions was something that Millicent could only dream of. 

“So I will be allowed to stay?” Remus asked. Millicent thought it was pretty obvious. Maybe she would talk with Matron about the phenomena she was noticing amongst the other time travellers, they were particularly dense. 

“You won’t be able to teach DADA, however as I actually like having a competent Divination professor, and you are able in some respects. Before you ask, we do have a competent History of Magic professor finally, and Nott is doing admirably as an Assistant Potions Professor whilst he finishes up his Mastery. You can offer to aid Matriarch Weasley if you wish to draw some sort of income from your time here.” The Matron had come in shortly after, Remus disappearing off sharpish as Millicent pretended to be asleep as she was gently kicked in the foot.

Neither adult had been convinced.

Millicent had been sulking for a week, having been caught with her tongue down a recruits throat by her Guardian. She was lucky that the Matron was able to regrow tongues, she thought that Auror’s were supposed to be brave, but apparently they weren’t. Remus had stopped her again from disappearing into the Forbidden Forest. She was regretting every decision she had ever made at this point. 

None of them were believing that she needed to retreat for her inheritance. It was most annoying. She’d been banned by Wood who wasn’t even that good looking anyway after it was causing issues for the Recruits training every time she was around. It was her school, not theirs. Her Guardian ran the blasted thing. 

“When you are seventeen Miss Bulstrode, then you may make decisions about canoodling with reprobates until that time you will abide by my rules.” Millicent believed that about as much as she believed that they were comparing notes when they disappeared off into his room and the wards went up. No, it will be “While you are at school you will obey me, I am the great and mighty Headmaster ROAR!”

“Milly!” FUCKING LONGBOTTOM. Millicent wasn’t the least bit ashamed of how she let out a scream, unfortunately, it summoned the thirty recruits, Wood the smug gorgeous looking bastard she wanted to rub up against him so badly. Frigging Guardian and that bastard Lupin who wouldn’t let her go hide. 

“What is going on here?” Her Guardian looked like he’d apparated here, and he wasn’t even buttoned up properly. Millicent was more than a little tempted to fling herself on the ground like Malfoy used to do in the common room and have a tantrum.

“I stubbed my toe.” Millicent could feel herself openly glaring at her Guardian, the others seeming to have disappeared.

“You will go and wait in the infirmary for Madam Pomfrey, she will repair the broken toe.” Millicent debated using the skills her father had imbued on her as she caught sight of Lupin grinning behind her Guardian’s back. Fucking blasted demented werewolves. 

“Yes Sir.” There wasn’t anything else she could say. Choosing to ignore the idiot males all of them, every single one of them. She was going to join a convent, she’d read about them in the Matron’s romance novels she left lying about. Join a convent where men were banned. 

She might have punched a recruit in the nose as she stormed passed, but it was his fault for not moving out of the way quick enough. Recruits were pointless and thick and cowardly.

The Matron had taken one look at her, handed her a special wand and sent her to the private room of the Infirmary. Millicent had felt slightly better afterwards. It wasn’t quite the same, but she didn’t want to punch everyone. Well, she did but she didn’t act on it. More than twice anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters are being posted as I finish the edit. Which means absolutely nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

The last week of the summer was particularly tense, Longbottom had been banned from the grounds and castle after the first day of the week where Millicent had to be pulled off him, fortunately, Longbottom thought she was just being a little bit aggressively affectionate. Remus had several broken ribs and a black eye. Wood had been tasked with making sure that she didn’t leave the grounds, with the Recruits living in fear after she’d sent several to St Mungo’s after they’d attempted to lure her back. Her Guardian had been banned from speaking with her, after she vacillated between hysterics and homicidal rages. 

In the end, it had been Lady Zabini who had advised that whilst she personally wasn’t a Hag, she was somewhat related, cue the noises of shock from no one. Millicent was allowed to retreat to the depths of the Forest, with the Centaurs being tasked from preventing her eating anyone who stumbled in afterwards. The Professor had muttered something about there might be a couple of students roaming from the previous year who had never returned home.

The Millicent who returned the first day of term was quite a bit bigger, in every way. She was immediately banned from being alone with the third years and below. 

“Once again the school is full of children. I will say the same thing that is repeated every year, one hundred points to whomever finds the missing restricted section of the library.” The Headmaster seemed to be staring at Millicent as he gave his speech. “Two hundred points if all of it is returned. Now the Forbidden Forest is FORBIDDEN, any child wandering into the Forest will be agreeing to being eaten, and your parents will potentially be upset by this.” There was a round of nervous titters from the first years. 

“Headmaster?” Professor Lovegood had leaned forward to interrupt, Millicent was interested to see he merely sighed.

“Professor Lovegood has reminded me, as you will have noticed, there are two new or shall we say, old students at the school this year. Neville Longbottom will be rejoining Gryffindor, Merlin help them, I mean, of course, Merlin may you welcome him.” Millicent had to hand it to Neville, he took everything on the chin, and even grinned at her Guardian. He had a deathwish.

“Also we have my ward, Miss Millicent Bulstrode.” He paused as there was a rush of noise. “Yes, the Millicent Bulstrode, who successfully defeated an invasion of this very school just over twenty years ago, before tragically disappearing in a time magic incident. Professor Lovegood proving once more that she is accurate and helpful with her seeing making a highly - sorry yes. Miss Bulstrode is not only my ward, which for you who do not know how to open a book, means she is essentially my child in every way but blood.” He glared managing to hit every male in the room with it.

“Now, the staff have decided without my input I may add, that as Miss Bulstrode missed her points by disappearing through time to, well, here, that she may be rewarded for her heroic bravery. Proving once again that Slytherin’s are not only clever and heroic but brave. So for saving the lives of countless children, many of whom were your parents, 150 points to Slytherin.” Millicent’s house exploded in cheers, and Millicent was amused to see the other houses clapping with a little less enthusiasm but still, they seemed genuinely pleased.

“One other word of note, Miss Bulstrode has fully inherited her Hag heritage. Yes despite the ongoing misinformation that keeps creeping into the school, Hags are not a patriarchal construct to hold young witches down. Miss Bulstrode, as do our other creature inherited students, will abide by the rules. However, just as I would not leave mice in with the snakes unattended, anyone below the age of fourteen will be advised not to be alone in Miss Bulstrode’s company.” Millicent stood and gave them all her best smile, which had her Guardian glaring at her. Perhaps he should have let her kiss the recruits before. 

The rest of the feast was spent with Millicent holding court, as she piled on the charm, her highly charged sexualised charm that had the very dishy looking Oliver winking at her from the end of the teachers' table. Nott looked sour as ever, he hadn’t looked as keen to see Millicent back, though Millicent hadn’t looked overly keen to see him either. He was a step up from Malfoy though. 

She’d chuckled when she learnt he had lost everything, well, everything to a Malfoy. He’d finished his stretch in Azkaban, and Narcissa had sold the Mansion and run off with Lovegood’s father. Malfoy junior was living as a Muggle to avoid the shame of it. She’d been banned from hunting him down and hadn’t been allowed to visit his awful father either. She had plans for Lucy, she was going to strip his hide inch by inch and feed it to the ferret. Teach them to set her father up for death, the irritating bastards.

Millicent quite liked Seventh year other than Lady Zabini seemed to have as much of a sixth sense as her Guardian did for Millicent attempting to “canoodle” with inappropriate men. Wood was back to being a bastard after being threatened with a castration curse. Millicent had been so close, she’d even gotten the Goblins to provide her with a certificate stating she was 37, he had been that close to being her first, before wimping out. 

Luna had agreed she could use Lupin, as they were the same age, but Lupin had declined. Longbottom hadn’t given up on his courtship, and she did admit he’d bulked out, he was almost not making her want to scream. Almost. And then he’d say her name, and she was sure the Matriarch had looked like she was going to answer. Milly, Molly. She had a perfectly good name, Miss Bulstrode to him, and Millicent to close friends.

Millicent had a list, of all the men, who had been boys, that she would happily tumble with. She kept the list in her cabin under the invisibility sheet that Luna had told her to keep as it was really hers now anyway, whatever that meant. All of the Weasley men, barring well, Ron who was still a right prat. 

She wasn’t sure if Molly would share, or at least not whilst she was still at school, but with that many children there was nothing wrong with Weasley Father. Luna would happily share, but Lupin thought that she was too young, he was near the bottom of the list, with Luna telling her it would be ten years before he’d be happy. Probably meant that in ten years her Guardian would be on holiday and they’d get Lupin drunk enough not to care.

Her letter to the Weasley twins had been intercepted five times. Lady Zabini was good. Millicent wasn’t sure she was better yet. In time, though, that was a worthy goal.

Millicent had learnt that Mandrakes were interesting to eat. That the House Elves were imaginative with how they prepared them. Almost every meal had hers looking almost the same as everyone else which was actually pleasant. It hadn’t helped with the rumour that Hag’s weren’t real and Millicent was just a Russian Princess and that’s why she was so tall. Or it did help, depending on how one looked at it. 

Millicent quite liked how some of the younger children would curtsy, and she’d picked up enough Russian through her Guardian’s dealing with other Potions Masters that she could pretend to be reasonably fluent in the language. Her Guardian was not amused. Millicent only thought it fair after the regrowing of her tongue.

Professor Sprout had welcomed her back to the Greenhouses in the early mornings with glee, the passing twenty years having softened her. Millicent was occasionally called by her first name, though Neville was always. There was no doubt that Neville was being prepped to being taken on as her apprentice come the end of the year. It had been the Hufflepuff Head who had badgered to get them resorted, it appeared Millicent hadn’t been the only one who thought Neville was in the wrong house. 

The first Hogsmeade weekend had been a lot of fun, she wasn’t going to deny that, she’d had a ball. She was also banned for the rest of the year after she’d finally managed to bump into the twins. It wasn’t exactly her fault that they assumed she was far older than she was. She was of age, Lady Zabini hadn’t seen it in quite the same way. The woman was good. However, Millicent had managed to get too heavy petting in the corner of the Hogs Head before they were interrupted. She had been invited to visit the twins after she’d graduated if she was still interested. Millicent counted it as a win.

“Before we all settle down to enjoy the feast and you all eat yourselves sick and burden the Matron… I would like to mention once again that any person who finds even some of the missing Restricted section in the school grounds will be awarded one hundred points, and for the complete collection two hundred points.” The Headmaster announced facing only the Slytherin table.

Halloween passed by without much issue, Millicent had taken to responding to simple yes and no questions with “Da” or “Nyet” it had earnt her several detentions with her Guardian, especially after she had been gifted several delightful fur hats and a lovely muff. He hadn’t been pleased in the slightest. 

It was announced that for the Yule Ball, Durmstang students would be invited as a cultural exchange. Millicent had positively purred when she’d heard from behind the back of the sofa where she was pretending to study. The Matron was far better at remembering she was there than her Guardian who had grown so used to her presence that he forgot quite easily. Lady Zabini had allowed her to correspond with an owl pal at the Baltic school and had blessedly allowed her communications after the first few to go unread. 

Millicent had almost lost her tongue as when the students arrived, she was greeted by sweeping bows and curtsies. She’d almost lost her tongue because her Guardian had the half quirk as they had entered, and had quickly lost it when they greeted her with “Your Majesty.” 

Lady Zabini had given her the look, the one that said she approved of the play, but that Millicent would not be allowed any privacy in her communications again. Millicent didn’t mind so much, she had won one of the battles at least, and the arrival of the students had announced the end of term and the start of the Yule holidays. Which had brought with it more delights of the flesh.

“Miss Bulstrode.” Millicent visibly deflated as Lady Zabini had called her back into the classroom after another interesting lesson on the nuances of contracts, that her Guardian had signed her up to as an extracurricular. He was under the delusion that she would be too busy to chase after men. 

“Lady Zabini.” Millicent kept her tone respectful, it wasn’t hard. The woman was a hero in Millicent’s eyes, even if her son was a cowardly worm who wouldn’t be alone with Millicent without a chaperon.

“Miss Bulstrode, it has come to my attention that you have been making eyes at another’s husband.” Lady Zabini looked almost bored. Millicent wasn’t quite sure who she meant, she made eyes at almost everyone, it was like there was a fire in her body.

“Lady Zabini?” Millicent decided that she wasn’t going to ask whom she’d upset because the chances of anything happening at present. Well, she had more chance of riding a unicorn than a centaur at this point.

“Matriarch Weasley’s husband to be exact.” Millicent couldn’t help the tiny shiver of delight. She really did quite like the Weasley father, he had stamina, there was no doubt about that.

“Should I apologise?” Millicent asked, already considering how she could possibly tie herself up in a bow and sprawled over the bed. Maybe it was time to go to the private room again.

“Matriarch Weasley has asked that you be informed that whilst chronologically you are 37, and as such would be of age, you are still very young.” Lady Zabini looked at her properly. “I believe that your Guardian is being entirely foolish about the whole affair, however, whilst you are still a student here you will abide by his rules. You will have the rest of your life to explore and enjoy your nature. In the meantime, you will not be allowed to spend time outside of your room without adult supervision.”

To say that Millicent let out a whine, well, Millicent was ready to throw herself at the first male who could be fooled and damn the consequences.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A ball, an argument, and a plan.

The Matron had assured the Headmaster that it was very normal for teenagers to look at their parents with pure loathing. Millicent had stopped talking to him completely after the latest edict from up high. Millicent spent most of her free time expelling energy out on the Quidditch Pitch, playing beater for whomever wanted a friendly game. Though, Millicent’s style could hardly be called friendly. 

“Sir?” A small voice asked from the Hufflepuff table.

“What is it?” The Headmaster snapped.

“Um Sir, we were thinking, well, could we be allowed to play a game of Rugby?” Another braver child asked, staring over at where Millicent was sitting glaring at her Guardian.

“Is Quidditch not brutal enough for you?” The Headmaster asked, pretending that his ward wasn’t trying to impale him with her eyes.

“Well, it’s just that some people seem to want a more brutal game, and well, it would be safer.” Millicent had sent a record number of casualties to the Infirmary, more so than any actual game. It wasn’t even as if she had a specific target, she just liked to hit really really hard, and no one was prepared to tell her she couldn’t play. 

Millicent proved to be incredibly passionate about Rugby. If a little scary with that passion. With the recruits back, she was allowed to play the game with them, as no one truly wanted to see her barrelling through students. Seeing Millicent launch herself through a line of defence whilst screaming out her aggression, well, Lady Zabini used it as further evidence that the Headmaster was an utter idiot when it came to his ward.

Still, she managed to out scare one of the recruits into escorting her to the Ball. Even after he had been dragged before the Headmaster, or the Hero of the Century, as he had been wearing the medals at the time. Even after being made to sit down and have a nice chat with Lady Zabini and the Matron. Millicent had proven herself to be far scarier, at least whilst the recruit was still at Hogwarts for training. Auror Wood had promised he would be paid hazard pay, but the other recruits had looked at him with hero worship.

Millicent had been given free rein as long as she stayed within the four walls of the great hall for the Ball. She had her first dance with the young recruit, before pushing him aside and making her way through the Weasley men, one by one. Weasley Father had allowed her one dance after she had spent ten minutes explaining in great detail how much she owed Matriarch Weasley for her kind gift of the sewing machine and book. He had kept a respectable distance. Millicent had all but purred the entire way, with the Matriarch winking at her slyly.

Fleur had taken her for a dance, and Millicent had quite enjoyed dancing with the Veela female. Fleur had cooed over her, and then passed her over to Bill before going to harass the Headmaster for abusing his ward so cruelly. Bill had been fun, he’d flirted with her whilst spinning her around the floor like a spinning top before depositing her in Charlie’s arms.

Charlie had danced three dances with her in a row before Percy took over after the Headmaster had started to get antsy. Still, she’d enjoyed Charlie's company, he’d claimed that she was the finest Hag he’d ever had the pleasure to meet. Though, from what she knew there was no other young Hags about, but she took it as a positive. That and he offered to take her on a dragon ride after she graduated. 

Percy had been polite, he knew how to dance, and spoke directly into her ear that made her squirm as he talked about the changes made in Other rights. He was much preferred by the Headmaster, who she wasn’t talking to still, but he didn’t object after the second dance. 

The Twins had waited until the less formal part of the ball, where she temporarily got lost in the crush of bodies, sandwiched between the two of them whilst they jumped about to the primal music. Fleur appeared for a moment.

“You have an hour, whilst the Matron is seeing to a problem only the Headmaster can deal with.” Fleur purred into her ear, Millicent hugging her tightly. 

That said she wasn’t allowed to leave the hall as Lady Zabini had appeared as they had tried to sneak out with a look. Still being allowed to dance like a maniac whilst pressed up against hard musky bodies. It was enough to see her through to the last holiday before she could graduate. 

Fleur had been badgering the Headmaster, sending leaflets about the needs of Others, and Lady Zabini made it perfectly clear that Millicent had needs.

Millicent had tried glamouring that she was fading. It didn’t work. It was, however, in Millicent’s eyes worth a try. Oliver had danced with her though at the Yule Ball and had given her a present, a nice set of furry ear warmers that went very nicely with her Russian Princess look. 

“As every time it has been mentioned nothing has been done. The missing or lost Restricted section, that went missing the day that our three travellers departed from the past to arrive in the present. The Restricted Section that still hasn’t been found. Miss Bulstrode, you will pay attention to this. For the return of any of it will be a whole one hundred and fifty points, and for all it will be a whole three hundred points.” The Headmaster was stood next to Millicent having walked between the tables as he spoke.

“As you will all be aware, that will mean an almost certain victory for that house for this year. Miss Bulstrode, I am sure that you will be looking as well for this.” Millicent was busy batting her lashes up at Oliver who was busy looking at his meal. Luna nudged him, with Millicent beaming at her in return.

“Miss Bulstrode you will stop making cow eyes at Auror Wood, you will spend time looking for the Restricted Section, as will the rest of the school. Do I make myself clear?” Millicent scowled at her Guardian who had leaned down to hiss into her ear.

“Sir.” Millicent hadn’t heard a thing he’d said, she was too busy thinking about how she could accidentally lock herself out of the players' showers after practice and stumble into Oliver all naked. Maybe he would help her scrub clean, hot soapy water, scrubbing his big strong hands over...

SLAM.

The whole room jumped as the Headmaster slammed his hand down on the table in front of his ward.

“Detention Miss Bulstrode.”

Millicent was sure he’d used his mind magic skills on her because she wasn’t allowed to shower in the communal showers after that. She had to use the floo up to the Headmaster quarters to wash up. It really wasn’t fair. It was abuse. She was going to floo-call Granger and have her tackle the issue. 

Granger had been about as much use as a chocolate cauldron. 

“Millicent, he is within his rights to want to protect you from unscrupulous men.” Maybe her Guardian hadn’t been completely wrong about the whole reaping what you sow thing. Granger didn’t believe that Millicent ached, beyond the usual female need. Millicent didn’t merely ache, she burned.

She was spending several hours a day in the private room. It was the only way she could get through without rampaging through the school, even with the release of aggression on the field. It wasn’t enough, she was surrounded by lust, by virile young bodies, by hearty men and women with needs. 

Lady Zabini had called a meeting with the Headmaster, the Matron and the Matriarch.

“Concerning Miss Bulstrode.” Lady Zabini had begun. Millicent was stretched out behind the sofa, this time the Matron had placed a silence on her so that she could listen but that she wouldn’t draw her Guardians attention.

“Really Severus.” Matriarch Weasley said with the same tone she used when she was dressing down a lion.

“Miss Bulstrode is fine.” Her Guardian sounded defensive.

“Millicent is not fine, Millicent has since she returned been driven slowly mad by her nature.” The Matron sounded stern.

“Miss Bulstrode is doing very well.” He said in a slightly softer tone than before.

“Severus, the girl is a Hag. She has different needs, but even if she wasn’t a Hag, she is a healthy teenage girl in the first flush of her sexuality. Girls have just as many needs as boys do at that age.” The Matriarch said.

“This is not a matter of you three being witches understanding the needs of my child better than I, because I am a mere wizard.” Millicent could hear him getting uppity.

“No, this is more you have just had your child returned to you and in your eyes she is still the ten-year-old little girl who you took into your home. Millicent has grown up, even if she had a twenty-year gap in that growth. Perhaps it wasn’t ideal to have her come into her inheritance just before her final year, but denying her basic needs is cruel. It is unjust of you.” Lady Zabini cut through before he could derail the conversation.

“Severus, my love, Millicent will love you regardless of who she is sleeping with. But by denying her that, you are just hurting both of you.” The Matron.

“You want me to allow the whole populace free access to her?” Millicent blinked at the outrage in his voice. “I’ll castrate the lot of them.”

“We don’t want you to do any such thing. What we want you to do, is accept that Millicent is a fully inherited Hag, she is of age. She has a piece of parchment that says she is 37, the very fact she is still here abiding by your rules only shows how much she does love and respect you. But the girls going mad, you must see it.” The Matron.

“Millicent has passed the point of being able to focus on anything other than her primal urges for more than a class. She has sent multiple recruits into the infirmary, and this was after she was banned from playing with the students. She is a Hag, Severus.” Lady Zabini.

“You are aware she has approached several of us.” The Matriarch. “Whilst I was flattered, I respected your wishes when it came to your ward, but at this point in time Severus, we are seriously considering removing her completely from your care.” 

“You can’t do that!” He roared. Millicent crawled forward so she could see around the edge of the sofa, where she could see him glaring at the three women.

“My love, you need to think clearly. You had no issues with Veela children, nor any other type of the Others, but yet Millicent is denied that very part of her.”

“She’s my little girl.” He sunk down into his chair, looking defeated.

“At this rate, she won’t pass her NEWTS, she’ll be lucky not to end up in Azkaban for killing someone.” Lady Zabini.

“What would you have me do?” He sounded bereft, Millicent felt awful.

“Allow her to have the same rights as all the other girls her age.” The Matriarch spoke softly.

“Is that what you want?” He asked her, as she crawled to sit at his feet like she used to when he’d first taken her in. His fingers gently scraping her scalp as she rested her head against his knee.

“It hurts, all the time. I just, it’s as if the whole place smells of lust and soaks into my skin and nothing I can do can soothe it.” Millicent admitted. 

“I - you, you have the same rights as all the other seventh year girls. Lady Zabini you may drop the measures that were in place.” He sounded utterly defeated, and Millicent felt worse than before.

For the next few weeks, far from being elated by the change, she had started to fade, barely picking at her meals, as the Headmaster refused to meet her gaze. Her libido had vanished, she merely felt ill the entire time, getting adept at hiding food and claiming a need to study to hide the lack of aggression she now felt.

Her grades had picked back up, as she found that with her lack of appetites so came a lack of ability to sleep, so started to spend the early hours studying. Millicent still found herself unable to enter the Forest, even as she found it to be the only place she wanted to be now that her Guardian had rejected her.

Luna invited her to sleepovers in her tower, kicking Lupin out, but Millicent had declined claiming the need to study for her NEWTs. Lady Zabini had spoken to her several times about her concern for the lack of company Millicent was keeping. Millicent then started to let Neville take her for long walks around the lake. 

Professor Sprout was the first to mention that she had Mandrakes missing from the Greenhouses, not many, just two or three, of some of the more preferred varieties by Millicent. Madam Pince had announced that a couple of the geography books had gone missing for South American and Indonesia. 

Matriarch Weasley had noted Millicent had suddenly become more interested in pottery, although had seemed to be only interested in the more useful items rather than as most had, the decorative.

“Miss Bulstrode.” Lady Zabini called her back at the end of one of the last classes before the NEWTS began.

“Lady Zabini,” Millicent replied, barely bothering to make eye contact.

“As your Head of House, it has come to my attention that your actions mirror those from before your disappearance.” Lady Zabini watched her tallest student carefully.

“I won’t be repeating my actions from then again, Lady Zabini.” Millicent had considered it, but there were too many variables. Lady Magic would hardly call this a dangerous place unless she considered how wounded Millicent felt by the rejection from her Guardian. Millicent didn’t have access to the ritual stones, they had been blown to smithereens, and she’d checked her Hag Bag to see if there were any hiding in there, there weren’t.

“One should hope not.” Lady Zabini gestured for her to sit down. “Miss Bulstrode, we have grown concerned.”

“I’m fine Lady Zabini,” Millicent replied, hovering in the chair, ready to leave as soon as she was dismissed.

“Miss Bulstrode, you seem to have some modicum of respect for my role here. You are far from fine. Auror Wood has expressed concern for the fact that you haven’t so much glanced in his direction for over three weeks. Yet he hasn’t, as far as any of us are aware, done anything to earn your ire. The Matriarch’s husband has been in residence for the last few weekends and you didn’t even seem to notice.” Millicent bit back the urge to shrug.

“It is unseemly to stare at other peoples husbands Lady Zabini. They believe me to be too young.” Millicent could just about bring herself to come up with a reason.

“And Auror Wood?” Lady Zabini asked dryly.

“He is much older.” Millicent tried.

“You will report to the Matron for a full checkup, she is expecting you.” Lady Zabini opened the door, and Millicent left as quickly as she could without being unseemly.

The Matron was alarmed at the colour of Millicent’s skin after she dispelled the glamour. 

“I’m just stressed about my NEWTs,” Millicent muttered, flinching away from the prodding of her ribs.

“The kitchens claim that you are eating, but you have lost weight.” The Matron remarked, taking a full set of measurements.

“I’m a growing Hag.” Millicent just wanted to retreat to her room, with her glamour on.

“You haven’t been down to the private room in a while either Millicent.” The Matron remarked.

“NEWTs are important.” Millicent cast the glamour again. “You can’t tell him, I’m of age, and it’s confidential.” 

“He is the Headmaster.” The Matron had said, and Millicent was considering how much trouble she’d get in if she disposed of the woman. 

“Of course Matron.” Millicent stood, staring at the door before leaving as soon as she was released. She had a while before she would be summoned before him, she was half tempted to just leave but had a plan up her sleeve.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Millicent hadn’t fully forgotten the fact that she had all of the previous restricted section in her bag. She’d been slowly, in between studying and well, fantasising, copying books she thought she might need at a later date. A lot of the information was of no consequence, but parts were interesting enough for her to want to keep.

Whilst she hadn’t even really touched half of it, she had a good idea of what was more useful. So she ran through the corridors and pulled them out of her bag, before placing them in the room of requirement and calling out for a Professor.

“Oh well done Millicent! You found them!” Luna had cheered her, as Millicent did her best to look smug. Truth be told if it wasn’t for the fact she thought it might appease her Guardian she was quite happy to keep the lot of it. It did make her wonder if he would want his library back, but he hadn’t mentioned anything. 

Millicent accepted the invitation for a sleepover that night, as the Headmaster had at the evening meal awarded her the full three hundred points. He’d made a remark about how the Auror’s seemed to have missed it when arresting the invaders. Wood had merely frowned at the Hag, who had managed to eat all of her meal in the space of a minute. 

Slytherin were currently four hundred points ahead of everyone else at that point, and short of a new dark lord appearing and being defeated in the next few weeks, it was fairly obvious who would be taking home the cup. At this point Millicent would welcome a new dark lord, it would take the pressure off. Something for all the concerned adults to look over rather than staring at Millicent. It was getting near impossible at mealtimes to dispose of the food, even as the food was getting more and more tempting. But it turned to ash in her mouth, and she still had enough manners to not spit it out.

Millicent had a plan. It wasn’t a cunning plan. It probably wasn’t even a good plan. It was the best plan she could come up with, however. She wasn’t living in a world where at best she was ignored. No, this world had adults who had the time and energy to look after their students. She wasn’t best pleased about that currently.

Millicent had decided that after she graduated, the best thing for it, would be to make a clean break. Russia had the Taiga, where almost no one else lived. So she’d stolen books on South America and Indonesia, to throw them off the scent when she went missing. She couldn’t stay in the Forbidden Forest, the blasted place was too close. 

She’d considered seeing if Neville wanted to travel, and use his expertise to keep her well supplied, but he now had loving parents who would track him down. She didn’t trust he wouldn’t just tell people where they were either. But she could do what he did anyway, how hard was it to water and weed. Not very.

Millicent had quite enjoyed pottery, it was useful. She enjoyed more the fact that the Matriarch hadn’t noticed her materials closet going down. Partly because Millicent had been topping it back up with boxes hidden underneath draped material. Millicent was going off-network. She would disappear off into the deepest part of the Taiga, and never come out again. It would be like living in a different world. Next best solution to trying to recreate the ritual again.

She just had to get through the next few weeks. Millicent had also found the invisibility sheet again, which was fun. Well, as much fun as she could have at present. It had let her sneak out of the Headmaster Quarters without the Headmaster seeing her. She’d considered ignoring Luna’s invitation and drop in purely to say she wouldn’t be staying. But Luna hadn’t taken no for an answer for the nth time. Instead, Millicent was bustled into the very star-filled room and handed a hot drink.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luna has a wonderful plan to get Milly eating again. Remus doesn't agree.

They’d played awful music, drank lots of hot chocolate, and Millicent had for a moment felt something other than despair. Luna had played with her hair, and Millicent had talked to her about what it was like growing up with a father who had Troll heritage. Luna hadn’t been there when the Troll had tried to kill Granger, Millicent had some sympathy for it. She had also tried to kill Granger at times, though for different reasons.

Luna had told her all about how now she had a mother too, one who was just as pretty as her birth mother but was nice in different ways. Millicent had marvelled at how Narcissa Malfoy was described as nice. She couldn’t quite picture her in the kitchen, in the same way that she couldn’t imagine Lady Zabini ever stepping foot in one. Still, it had made her laugh.

“Millicent?” Millicent had been pretty relaxed as Luna was busy pouring slugs of brandy into the hot chocolates.

“Luna?” Millicent held her cup out for more.

“What do you plan to do afterwards?” Luna asked, pulling out some herb to light.

“Sow my seed?” Millicent giggled at that, she would be sowing her seed in one form. Maybe she should plant seed everywhere she stayed for a night, and then she could say she sowed seed wherever she went.

Luna giggled at that, dragging on the herb before passing it over. “You have all the time in the world, your seed would spread so far.” 

“Sow my seed here, sow my seed there, sow my seed merlin damned everywhere.” Millicent held the pungent smoke in her lungs before exhaling in giggles. “Maybe I should have some special seed made so people will go “That’s Millicent’s seed that is” and people can have pilgrimages to it?”

“You could write a book about all the places you sowed your seed.” The pair of them fell on the floor, cackling, the hot chocolate spilling over their hands. 

“Like Lockhart’s books, but “Millicent’s Seed Sowing Extravaganza” and have a continent by continent.” Millicent fell back, staring up at the constellations on the ceiling as she licked the hot chocolate off her hand, before capturing Luna’s to lick her clean too.

“You would have to come up with a theme for each book.” Luna pondered as the door opened slowly, with much spluttering from a dubious looking Lupin.

“Ladies.” He seemed particularly interested in the fact that Millicent was still licking Luna’s hand, in between puffs of herb which the two kept passing between themselves.

“Oh hi! You were out for the night, full moon?” Luna asked waving the herb at him as he waved it away.

“No, not yet, Luna can I have a word?” He asked as Luna had reached for the half-empty bottle of brandy and was busy offering it to Millicent who was tracing the constellations with a finger.

“She’s distracted it’s fine.” Luna beamed at him.

“When Snape agreed she should be treated like any normal Seventh Year girl, I don’t think he had this in mind.” He hissed at her, Millicent stealing the herb back.

“Milly?” Luna asked, Millicent, making a hmm noise. “Milly, I was thinking that I was hungry, do you want any food?” There was the noise of a gurgling stomach from the Hag who had shrugged.

“You got her drunk and stoned, she’s seventeen and a student Luna,” Remus growled.

“Poppy was worried about how much weight she’s lost, and she’s shown no interest in the fine specimens of menfolk of late.” Luna batted her eyelashes at him.

“Snape will hit the roof,” Remus muttered as he looked over to see Millicent stuffing Mandrake wedges into her mouth in between puffs. 

“Whose going to tell him?” Luna crawled across the floor to him as he groaned and slumped into the chair. 

“Well, he’ll just find some way to blame me, as if I have a hope of stopping it,” Remus mumbled, pouring himself a drink.

“Well, just think we’ve got one of the two solved, and maybe we can make it two.” Luna murmured reaching up to pull him down into a kiss as he tried to skitter away like a maiden aunt.

“Not in front of the child Luna!” Millicent hadn’t noticed, however, having finished the first bowl of Mandrake wedges, and was busy eating her way through a large roasted Mandrake drizzled in lemon and garlic.

“She’s not a child Remus, she’s a woman, a Hag even.” Luna purred, pressing into him, her arms wrapping around his neck.

“Not doing it, Snape will castrate me with a rusty spoon and feed me it in front of everyone.” Remus was busy trying to wriggle away.

“Think of Milly, Remy, think of poor hero Milly, all you need to do is get her interested again…” Luna pouted at him, as Millicent had started work on a large Mandrake pie with a chaser of Mandrake soup. 

“Think of Remus, Luna, think of poor barely employable Remus, all I need to do is not upset the man who employs me, who is known to the wizarding society as the hero of the century. It’s never happening, not ever, please understand that Luna.” There was a knock at the door, as Remus scrambled to get it. 

“Remus? You wanted to see me? Is that illegal herb?” Wood asked, before being pulled into the room by Remus who was debating running away before Snape could punish him for his part of the whole scheme.

“Luna! Please tell me you didn’t?” Remus asked his former lover.

“Milly, look who it is!” Luna cooed, as Millicent was mopping up the last bit of pie.

“Luna! Snape is going to kill all of us.” Remus stared at the unrepentant blonde who was busy offering Wood a freshly rolled joint.

“Just tell me it’s not the illegal stuff?” Wood asked hopefully as Luna beamed at him, patting the floor next to her.

“It’s not illegal. It’s just not legal either, it’s Pomona’s special blend.” Luna grinned, as Wood flopped down, stealing a drink before taking a drag. The door went again, with Remus debating to pretend he was dead if it was Snape.

It was Fleur and Bill, with a bottle of rum and a bag of pretty delicate flowers. Remus just stared, before making room for them to enter.

“Luna! We made it, had to get Charlie to agree to babysit Gabby, she’s going through a bad breakup.” Bill called, settling his wife down next to Millicent who was munching her way through a large bowl of wedges again, having decided she needed a light snack. 

“You should bring them! The more the merrier, isn’t that right Remy!” Luna called, as Remus stole the joint and gave up pretending his lover hadn’t just organised the start of an orgy for a depressed Hag.

“Hand it over Wood,” was his only response, stealing his Brandy back, before Wood could polish it off.

“If you’re sure?” Fleur was distracted by Milly trying to eat the flowers, as Bill stole Luna’s floo to call his sister in law. Charlie had looked relieved, as Gabby was in tears for the eighth hour in a row. Ginny had never really cried as a child, or if she had, neither Bill nor Charlie had much to do with it. 

Millicent had finally noticed the other people in the room when Gabby arrived, had taken one look at the crying girl and had burst into tears herself, as Luna was given the evil eye by Remus. The pair of them soon calmed down after more joints were shared, and more alcohol.

“Luna, we are going to be shot.” Remus sighed, having given up complaining when Wood had sprawled over him using his lap as a pillow whilst Charlie sorted out the music.

“Lady Zabini said it was fine, as did the Matriarch, oh and Matron said that anything we did that got her eating she’d smooth over with Severus if he found out.” Luna waved away the complaints easily.

“She said she’d take me away!” Millicent shouted throwing her arms in the air and then licking the brandy away, the hot chocolate had long since disappeared in favour for straight spirits.

“Do you think she’d take me away?” Gabby asked, leaning into Millicent with sad eyes.

“She’s scary, not Lady Zabini scary, but scary but I’m sure she would. She shouted at him, and told him he was being cruel.” Millicent sighed before calling for more wedges, but more, like much more this time because she was famished.

“He said he couldn’t be with me because I was too pretty, and he needed an ugly wife,” Gabby told Millicent who looked appalled.

“Right, well, we know what we have to do, we will tell them we need to use the bathroom, and then I know secret ways out and we will go hunt him down and eat him!” Millicent hissed at her, as Remus stared at them in disbelief.

“We can hear you.”

“It’s fine they think they can hear you, but we just told them the false plan!” Millicent pressed her lips to Gabby’s ear who had wide eyes. “They’ll think we’ve gone out through the secret passageways, but I can apparate us!” 

“He is a bad man, he must pay.” Gabby pulled away from Millicent who looked like she was ready to kill if a little unsteady doing so.

“Uh, we need the bathroom Luna.” Millicent tried to stand, before being pushed back down to the floor by Charlie as Remus was muttering again about running away.

“Yep, no murdering idiots tonight ladies.” Charlie grinned at them, with Gabby’s bottom lip wavering.

“You said you liked me, you, you said you liked me and that you wanted me to be happpppyyyyy, and Milllllliiiiccccyyyy wants to heeelpppp meeeee.” Gabby had big tears rolling down her face, as Millicent had pushed him back trying to get back up.

“Yeah, Gabby needs our help, and it’s not murrrrrrrderrrrrrrr, it’s naturrrrrral selection.” Millicent had managed to get upright as Wood had his eyes closed happily smoking slowly.

“I mean…” Luna said, with Remus throwing a cushion at her head as Fleur who was looking a lot more relaxed after sitting for more than a moment in the heavy herbal fug suddenly sat upright.

“It’s true!” Millicent and Gabby cheered as Fleur stood up, a lot more steady on her feet than the other two women.

“I’m a hag, and I’m hungry!” Millicent cried Remus prodded Wood in the stomach who merely batted his hand away.

“Lunnnaaaaa,” Remus said as it looked like the law enforcer was ignoring the talk of killing.

“Luna, you need to come with us to the bathroom.” Millicent took a step forward before falling on top of Charlie who tugged her down with little effort.

“Luna, you are not to take them out of the room.” Remus tried to say sternly, as his maybe former lover was busy sneaking her away across the room to the floo. 

“Remy, would we do anything wrong?” Luna asked with a pout, Bill was busy grinning at him.

“You mean beyond getting a student drunk and high? And bringing eligible bachelors to seduce her with?” Remus asked dryly, as Wood sat up a bit to wink at Millicent who had given up trying to stand in favour of licking rum off Charlie’s fingers.

“Milly love?” Luna called at her, before prodding her in the nose as she paid not the slightest bit of notice.

“Lunnnnaa, I need more!” Millicent opened her mouth with her eyes closed, Gabby feeding her more of the little white flowers that made the Hag purr.

“Milly love, I’m cancelling the glamour for Remy because he’s a big meany.” Luna cooed, as Remus rolled his eyes. 

It was Bill who managed it after Luna discovered that her wand wasn’t actually in the room, and Millicent was busy trying to decide if what she was really craving was more Mandrake or more herb. 

In fairness, Millicent had got some of her natural colour back, she didn’t have the very grey cast that she’d had with the Matron, eating a weeks supply of food in one sitting had helped with that, but she was looking diminished rather than her normal vibrant self.

“I told him Bill! He didn’t listen!” Fleur span round to poke her husband with her finger as he nodded seriously, whilst trying to steal Millicent’s joint.

“We know love, see, Luna’s got it covered.” Luna found herself being hugged by an overly emotional Fleur. 

“Thank Woodsy, he was the one who noticed first.” Luna turned Fleur round so that Remus was then squashed by not only the very off duty Auror but also a very emotional Veela.

“What?” Wood blinked before playing with Fleur’s hair, with Remus trying to wriggle out from underneath them.

“He noticed that Snape hadn’t glared at him for a whole week!” Luna clapped her hands together as Gabby and Millicent were trying to crawl to the floo, as Charlie had been momentarily distracted by Bill stepping on him to steal the joint.

“Oh - Bill Fleur has gold hair. You shouldn’t let her sell it, it’s precious.” Wood was busy picking and dropping strands, catching them relatively well as they floated back down.

“Mhmm, Woods a true hero.” Bill nodded, dodging Charlie’s well-aimed kick to make his way over to the sofa perching on the arm to trap Remus further, Fleur lifting her head to receive a light kiss.

“Don’t mind me,” Remus muttered as Luna pulled Charlie to his feet and started to sway. The two younger girls were suspiciously quiet, having managed to reach the floo without giggling, much.

“Charlie likes to dance, and you are stuck, Remy!” Luna cried happily as Charlie span her round and round.

“We should play that game!” Millicent suddenly shouted, with Gabby bursting into giggles.

“I really don’t think we should be playing any game,” Remus said, smacking at Bill’s chest as he’d pinned him to the sofa completely as he was now snogging his wife, with Wood still busy playing with strands of her hair.

“Luna, Lunnnnnaaaa, Luna! You turn the lights off for like a year and then you turn them back on again!” Gabby said, with Millicent nodding furiously, stuffing her face with more wedges. Gabby had the last of the bottle of rum tucked nicely in her hand.

“Luna don’t even-” Remus tried to say as the lights went out, and the floo lit up.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus is such a wuss.

There was a moment of huh, from Luna, before she burst into giggles. 

“Um, we should…” Bill mumbled as Wood waved his hand dismissively.

“It’ll be fine, what’s the worst that could happen, they are just happy and drunk and it’s late.” Wood said, his fingers now touching the individual freckles on Bill’s nose in the very dim light.

“Luna, please turn the light back on. We need to - we need to. We need to get Snape.” Remus said pushing harder at Bill sending him tumbling to the ground as Luna put the lights back on.

“It’s fine, I haven’t seen them do anything.” Luna breezed, as Remus was able to get his wand out and was busy dousing Wood with cold water much to his disgust, and much spluttering.

“We can’t tell Snape.” Charlie stared at Remus in horror.

“No, no, not even Mum will save us.” Bill had picked himself up and was staring at Charlie in as much horror.

“Nope. No telling Snape.” Luna said happily.

“We need to tell a responsible adult, and I can’t even claim I am one at this point.” Remus had managed to stand up, even as the two elder Weasleys were beginning to panic.

Luna jumped, clapping her hands together again. “We’ll call Lady Zabini!” 

“I - I don’t think that’s going to help,” Remus said, debating how far he could get before Snape found out that they had released a high, horny, hungry hag on the outside world with an emotional veela.

Lady Zabini hadn’t looked overly pleased to receive a call from the Divination Professor who was still smoking herb, with Wood stealing discreet puffs behind Remus’s back. 

“Well, as Charlie has decided to take Miss Bulstrode to visit a long lost relative for the weekend to help her adjust to her new lifestyle, as long as she is back for breakfast Monday morning.” Lady Zabini had sniffed.

“Oh wonderful!” Luna had jostled Charlie who looked appalled at the idea of being the one who would get the blame if they couldn’t find the two women. 

“I will inform the Headmaster that yourself, Mr Lupin and Auror Wood offered to travel as Miss Bulstrode needs a… firm hand.” Remus had the grace to flush, as Lady Zabini stripped his hide with her gaze.

“Thank you, Lady Zabini.” Luna offered her the joint, as Remus stared in horror. The Lady in question departed as opposed to responding with Bill trying to jostle Fleur off the sofa.

“Well, it’s been nice seeing you, thanks for inviting us.” Bill gave them a forced cheery grin, as he picked his wife up, Charlie and Remus standing in front of him with militant faces. Wood was busy finishing off the last of Remus’s drink.

“No, you are just as involved as all of us,” Charlie growled at his older brother as Remus flashed Bill a very toothy grin.

“But you see, the Goblins will kill me if Snape kills me.” Bill started.

“With all of us, we might be able to find them. Gabby is Fleur’s sister, she should know where she would go to.” Remus said, jabbing with his finger into Bill’s chest again, this time with more force.

The two expert planners had decided that the first course of action, having escaped their cruel oppressors was to head back to Fleur’s to stock up after Gabby had drunk the last of the Brandy. But all was fine, as the two women crept through the empty house, keeping the lights off and hushing each other. They were able to steal what Gabby said was the finest liqueur in all of the land, Cointreau which Millicent thought made her burn even hotter. Which led them to this.

“Gorgeeeeeeeyyyyyy, Finnnneeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy!” Millicent was calling, as Gabby was busy trying to climb the drainpipe up the side of the shop. 

“Try again Millllllllccccccyyyyyyyy!” Gabby cried, hauling herself up to sit on the overhang of the shop front, leaning down to wave at Millicent.

“Millllllllllliccceeeennnnntt and Gaaaaabbbbbbbbrrrrriiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllla want to plaaaay!” Millicent whined, throwing a brick at the upstairs window and missing hitting the shop front instead, although it bounced much to her disgruntlement.

“I don’t think they heard you Millcccy!” Gabby kicked her heels against the window, almost toppling over but managing to grasp on just in time.

“I - I got this, it’s good, I can do this.” Millicent nodded as she spoke before taking a step back and then another, and another breaking the window of the shop directly opposite instead.

“Noo, you got the wrong one! This is it!” Gabby threw her wand up into the air making the sky burst with light for a moment as people started to stir.

“I know! I’m not a dark a door, a dooooooorrrrrrrrrrrkkkkk!” Millicent tried to throw a brick at Gabby but lost grip of it as she swung her hand back, launching it instead at the unwitting shop keeper who had made her way downstairs. Millicent hadn’t noticed however, and started to run at the Twin’s window with her head down, with Gabby pulling herself back up to try and scrabble up to the window above.

“Millcccy I don’t think they are in!” Gabby called as Millicent hit the window at great speed, Gabby able to see into a bedroom to see the bed unoccupied.

The window had held up remarkably well against the brick, however, the tank formerly known as Millicent just obliterated it, and barrelled through two racks of displays before coming to a stop.

She hadn’t heard Gabby. 

Gabby didn’t hear nor see the pops of a bunch of Auror’s who had been summoned to investigate the attack on the Alley, as Milly had pulled her through the upstairs window with a pout.

“They aren’t here!” Millicent said, stealing a bottle of Firewhiskey, pulling Gabby to the floo. 

“To the Batcave!” Gabby cried, the two women disappearing moments before the Aurors entered the smashed up shop.

Remus had managed to get Wood reasonably alert, the sobering potion had worked on the brandy, but the not illegal herb was proving particularly difficult to shake. Charlie had sobered very quickly, as had Bill, but other than Luna, Wood had been exposed the longest and Luna had pointed to the small pile of ends where he’d been sprawled.

“Fleur?” Bill asked as Fleur was busy chattering with Luna about stars.

“Luna!” Remus barked.

“Remy, it’s fine, nothing bad will happen, I would have seen.” Luna breezed, with Fleur nodding happily.

“Luna is a true Seer, Remy, and Gabby is a good girl.” Bill looked shifty as Fleur said that.

“Gabby has spent the last three days cycling between crying, eating, and threatening murder,” Bill muttered, with Charlie glaring at his older brother.

“You just said she was a bit down.” Charlie thumped him in the chest, with Bill rubbing it.

“Can you two decide to hit me somewhere else, I’ll be bruised for weeks after this.” 

“You said, she was just a bit upset about being dumped. You didn’t say she was homicidal too!” Charlie punched Bill in the arm instead.

“Fleur’s scarier, but Gabby is her sister.” Bill chose to ignore the fact he’d stuffed his brother over.

“Thanks for bringing her Bill.” Remus glared at him, with Bill’s jaw-dropping in disbelief.

“Luna said to invite her!” Luna merely waved at the three men, Wood having started to saunter to the door as they were all distracted.

“You, you are the law enforcer! You are just as involved in this as the rest of us, and if we go down, so do you!” Remus grabbed him by the collar with Wood blinking at him.

“What?” Wood asked, spying Fleur playing with her hair behind Lupin’s back.

“You lay there whilst a Hag and a Veela talked about hunting down and killing a man, and you, Auror Wood, you waved it off like it was no big thing.” Remus snarled.

“It’s fine, they won’t do anything, what are they going to do?” Wood petted Remus on the head as the other three men stared in a mixture of rage, fear and disbelief.

“THEY AREN’T HERE ANYMORE WOOD!” Remus bellowed in his face.

“Oh, where do you think they went?” Wood asked, his fingers now gently playing with Remus’ hair.

“Well, they were talking about hunting down and killing a man, so I don’t know, what do you think Auror Wood?” Remus asked spitting out each word.

“It’s fine.” Wood said happily as Luna and Fleur cheered in agreement.

Gabby stepped out into the Weasley family home first, tumbling over as Millicent stumbled in after. The women bursting into giggles as they rolled about on the floor. 

“We have to be quiet!” Gabby shouted, hushing Millicent as she scraped the table against the flags. 

“Verrrrry verrrrrrry quiet.” Millicent hauled herself up, with Gabby scrabbling up Millicent until both of them were standing. They exchanged a glance, before nodding.

“Gorgeeeeeeeyyyyyy, Finnnneeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy, weeeeee wannnnt to plaaay!” This time it was Gabby who called, whisper shouting. And by whisper shouting, she shushed at the start and the end of the shout. It echoed through the house. 

Millicent took a moment to investigate, honing in on the large metal tin that had a lovely picture of biscuits on it. Putting a finger to her lips she crept through the chairs and pounced on it, breaking it open only to wail in distress. It was not biscuits. It was merely bits and bobs for sewing, with lots of buttons and spools of different threads. It was flung at the window, which bounced and the tin ended up on the floor with all of the items strewn across the formerly tidy kitchen.

Gabby sighed, shaking her head once, and then again, and then giggled as she continued to shake it with Millicent giving up on hunting down biscuits to drink the Firewhiskey the Twin’s had donated. She was sprawled on the table staring round the room slowly because it kept moving. The Matriarch had a moving house, it was most disorientating.

“Milllcccccy, look at the clock!” Gabby pounced at it, clinging on for dear life as it wobbled under the force of the drunk and high Veela. 

The clock had all but Charlie and Bill as safe. The two women cheered at that. They then decided that they were quite hungry still, so opened every cupboard door to check for food, because everyone knew the Matriarch liked to feed people, so she would definitely have food. She wouldn’t let them starve. 

They did find some more alcohol, cleverly disguised behind a glass door that looked like it wasn’t even there. Gabby found a way through though, she used her wand to summon it. Millicent caught it before it could smash into Gabby, though she wasn’t able to hold it properly and promptly dropped it on the floor, with the two women watching in fascination as the glass shards shimmered in the pretty lights.

Millicent took point going through the house, she sent Gabby off to investigate the bathroom in case the Twin’s were having a bath, whilst Millicent peeked into the Master bedroom. Gabby returned before Millicent could crawl into the bed, but she was able to steal a pillow that she shoved under her belt. 

None of the rooms had any Weasleys in. And they couldn’t find any food either.

“Where next?” Gabby asked Millicent who was busy touching all of the pictures, trying to pry them off the walls to take with her.

“OOOH I know! We need to go see my favourite rodent!” Millicent cheered up pulling Gabby out of the house, stealing a broom that was loitering just by the back door.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Millicent defeats a mighty beast.

There was a knock at the door, with Remus paling as he dreaded who would be on the other side. It was Arthur, who looked somewhat concerned as he took in the sight of his two eldest children.

“Boys, do you know why Gabby would be at the house?” Arthur got straight to the point, with Charlie and Remus diving for the floo, leaving Bill to explain what they’d done, or not done. 

“Well, Dad, Luna invited us over.” Bill started. He then stopped. There was an awkward relative silence as Wood was busy trying to see if he could lift both of the women at the same time, with them giggling.

“Well, so Dad, uh Luna invited us over and…” Bill started again, with Arthur watching him with a growing amused expression, the air still very thick with the not illegal herb.

Bill decided to stare at the floo instead as if willing the two men who had escaped to return. They did not. Arthur had in the meantime settled down where Remus had been for most of the evening. Wood had managed to bend down so Luna could hop onto his back, half strangling him, with Fleur offering to climb on too.

“Uh, right, well Dad.” Bill was busy pulling at his collar, which was undone and yet still threatening to strangle him.

“Luna invite you over?” Arthur said, picking up an empty bottle that had slid down behind a cushion with now a full-on grin across his face.

“Yes! That’s what happened.” Bill replied, edging closer to the floo.

“Well, then that’s good, Luna does throw a good party doesn’t she,” Arthur said, as Luna cheered at him.

“Luna is a very generous host Arthurs!” Fleur cried, pressing a sloppy kiss on Luna’s nose with Wood wobbling still bent over.

“Poms donated the herb, is her latest latest latest latest, her laaatesst blend.” Luna giggled, rubbing her now wet nose over Fleurs face.

“I checked, as my role as enforcer of the rules, it’s fine, it’s not illegal.” Wood gave a thumbs-up as best he good as Arthur chuckled.

“Severus runs a tight ship, I’m sure he would never allow illegal substances to be grown on school grounds,” Arthur said cheerily.

“Shush, we don’t know about Greenhouse 9, because there is no number 9,” Luna said with a big wink.

There was a knock at the door, and as Bill was the only one who wasn’t currently being climbed on or climbing, he picked his way carefully across to the door. Carefully, because the room felt a little like being on a ship in tranquil waters, just enough of a sway that he didn’t want to throw up. 

He threw up. All over his mother’s feet. His mother who looked less than impressed to see her husband quickly palming a blunt that Fleur had just passed to him.

“William Arthur Weasley!” 

Remus and Charlie stumbled into the Weasley family home, to discover it looked as if a herd of hippogriffs had charged through. The table was shunted across to the far wall, there was glass everywhere, there was sewing paraphernalia everywhere. All of the cupboards were open, with pots and pans strewn all over as it looked as if someone had been hunting for something. The drinks cabinet was missing the pane of glass to the door, and in the place of the previously full bottles were empty ones, Remus recognising his preferred brand of Brandy. 

“Gabby?” Charlie shouted, Remus pointing at the wide-open back door. Still, the two men went to check through the rest of the house. The living room was fairly untouched, barring all of the pictures had sticky fingerprints on them. They were all at weird angles, and Charlie was fairly sure the photo of them in Egypt had been taken.

There was a moment of horror as all of the bedroom doors were wide open, with cupboard drawers in various stages of open, as if someone had decided that there might be something hidden. The cupboard that the Matriarch kept all of her linens, looked as if a tornado had whipped through. 

“I think I need to go back to work,” Charlie said, scrubbing at the back of his neck. “Mum’s going to kill us. I think I need to go back to work now, in Romania, where there isn’t extradition rules. Yep, so, nice seeing you again Remus, glad you returned and all that.” Charlie started to slink down the stairs only for Remus to snag him by the back of the neck.

“If you think I’m going to let you get away, you are sadly mistaken.” Remus hissed. 

“Look, it’s not my fault, blame Bill!” Charlie whined.

“We are all to blame in the eyes of Snape if he finds out we’ve lost his daughter. You will lion up. Now where would they have gone?” Remus asked, dragging Charlie back down having ascertained there were no drunk, high Other women in the house.

“I have no idea, Fleur might know? All I got from Gabby was how she was going to join a convent and marry Merlin because he didn’t care if she was too beautiful.” Charlie replied.

“Right, back to Luna’s, we get Fleur, we come back and we track them down. They can’t have gotten far.” Charlie looked dubious at that. Remus didn’t look much surer as they stepped back through to where they had come from earlier, with Charlie only staying as Remus had a very firm grip on his wrist as Charlie spotted his mother. His very annoyed mother. His Dad, however, was busy picking at some cheese and biscuits. 

“Gabby, Gabbby, GABBY!” Millicent was prodding her best friend, who was stumbling by her side. They’d given up on the broom after neither of them could get it to fly. 

“Millllllllllllllllcy.” Gabby clung on to her new best friend, swinging on her arm.

“Shuussshh, look!” Millicent spat all over the finger she’d pressed to her lips to hush, pointing with the arm Gabby was clinging on to a field of cows next to some farm-type buildings.

“Werewolves!” Gabby cried, pointing up at the almost black sky with only the thinnest slice of the moon visible.

“No, no, is not wolvesss, because I can tell!” Millicent smacked herself in the nose with her finger, the two girls swaying in the breeze as they stared at the large black and white cows.

“Oh, then they are hippogriffs!” Gabby said after the women stopped for either a moment or twenty minutes watching the creatures do very little.

“No, we learnt about them in class, they have a name! They are flowers, flowers, fllllooooooowwweerrsss.” Millicent started grabbing at the sky, “No, no nono, um, not - they are, Gabby they are Fraisys!” Millicent lifted the smaller woman and threw her behind her.

“Millliicccccccyy, you forsoothe me for the Fraisys!” Gabby cried sounding tearful.

“Noooooo, Gabbbby I protect you from them! I will defeat the Fraisys!” Millicent raised her arms into the air, let out a massive scream and ran into the fence. Tearing through it like paper before hitting the largest of the sheds, falling backwards as the shed groaned but didn’t give.

The sound of a dog barking broke the confused silence of the cows who had been woken by a woman running at the shed, and Gabby’s gasp of awe as her hero went to save her. There was the sound of windows being opened from the farmhouse of a neighbouring field, and lights coming on illuminating the outskirts of where the women were. 

“Millicy! We need to go before they get us!” Gabby shouted in fear, as Millicent was busy picking herself up off the ground.

“I’ll defeat the big one and then we go!” Millicent claimed pointing at what appeared to be a metal beast, with huge big eyes perched on top of its head. Gabby half swooned as Millicent dusted herself off and then charged at the tractor, managing to with renewed vigour tip it over onto its side. The noise as it crashed through a breeze-block shed sending the cows scattering through the gap in the fence. Gabby screaming for Millicent as she was dodging being trampled by the very frightened cows.

Millicent, who had been cheering at her victory over the massive beast, charged at the cows screaming, scattering them and grabbing Gabby just as she was about to be crushed to the ground. The sounds of angry men, and the noise of a loud dog, sending the girls running for the woods. Gabby sending sparks of light up into the air to scare them away as Millicent carried her.

It wasn’t quite dawn when they finally stopped, having finally run out of awakeness. Not even the last of the booze stolen from the Matriarchs home had been able to keep their eyes open. They decided the safest place to stop against the evil overlord oppressors who were sending Fraisys after them. The safest place would be to just break into a greenhouse that had pretty flowers that danced in the gale-force winds that rattled the place after neither woman closed the door behind them. The two, very sleepy women sprawling on the raised shelves that ran the whole way round, that previously sported the pretty flowers before they fell off.

It wasn’t that the Matriarch was cross. It wasn’t that she was angry. The Matriarch wasn’t even livid, no, the Matriarch had taken one look at her eldest, and then her husband who was happily enjoying the very relaxed atmosphere, and knew that she would be called upon to hide the bodies.

Luna had slithered off the current DADA Professor and was busy organising nibbles for Arthur, who put up a very weak resistance to the idea. Patting the sofa for his wife, who was banishing the vomit that her eldest had provided, in a soothing manner. 

“Mum!” The Matriarch had grown more fond of Fleur after she had provided three lovely grandchildren for her. The only female barring Hermione, who meant well and was a fine woman, to manage to tie down one of her children. Ginny, Merlin bless her, had seen Harry was shy about approaching and had tied him down rather sharpish.

“Fleur, you are looking well. Much better than William.” The Matriarch was pleased to see her eldest cringe at this with Fleur hopping down off the foolish Wood’s back to perch next to her Mother in Law.

“Oh yes, Luna has thrown a wonderful party, Bill had been saying how we never see any adults any more, just parents!” Fleur pressed a rather damp kiss on the Matriarch’s cheek, as Luna offered her a drink, which she declined even as Arthur accepted. Her feeling of unease increased as her second eldest son tried to flee from her as he stumbled through the floo.

“Er, hi Mum.” Charlie was cringing.

“Did you tell them?” Remus asked, which made the Matriarch narrow her eyes.

“Tell us what exactly children?” The Matriarch was more than aware of the fact they were adults. However, with how they were currently acting she was immediately thrown back twenty-five years.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Millicent remembers nothing from the night before.

Millicent was the first to stir, her head was swimming. The prickle of being watched was what had woken her, at whatever unseemly hour it was. Millicent had tried opening her eyes fully, before hissing loudly and falling to the floor with a thump as she tried to escape from the suns rays. It took a further moment to spy the other occupant of the strange greenhouse, and then a man stood at the door glaring at them.

Millicent hissed again, this time at the female who was drooling face down in potting soil. It was clear what had happened, they had been kidnapped by the man. The pain in her head, the lack of memory, he must have drugged them. Though it did look like they had put up some sort of fight, from the damage to the flowers and the strange scratches on Millicent's arms. The other woman looked, well, she was drooling in the dirt but even so, she looked as if her clothes had been torn from fleeing.

“Stay back!” Millicent snarled at the man, waving her wand at him as he took a step back from the closed door. “Wake up!” hissing at the still sleeping woman, before poking her with her free hand. The glass was great for keeping an eye on the enemy, even if it meant that he could also keep an eye on them. It was genius really, she’d keep it in mind if she was ever on the other side.

“You can’t escape, I’ve called the authorities, they are coming.” The man shouted. Millicent panicked. The authorities were no doubt code for whomever the man was working for. He must have known Millicent was a Hag, and she’d bring in a considerable price on the black market. 

“Hey.” Millicent pulled the other woman up to her feet, lightly smacking her across the face to wake her up. She thought she recognised her, but there wasn’t time for polite greetings and family trees. They had very little time, who knew where they would end up if they didn’t act now.

“My headdddd,” The woman whined, clinging onto Millicent.

“I know we’ve just met, and this sounds crazy, but, we need to escape, so trust me maybe?” Millicent whispered into her ear, keeping an eye on the man who started to look antsy at the now awake women.

“What?” The woman asked, staring around the greenhouse with bleary eyes.

“That man is keeping us prisoner, I feel awful and can’t remember anything from last night, I think he kidnapped us and drugged us to keep us docile. We need to go before “the authorities” arrive.” The woman started to pat herself down until she found her wand.

“Fleur is going to kill me.” 

“She won’t be able to if they do. We need to go now, do you want to come with me and escape, or risk it by staying?” Millicent asked, as the man locked the door, clearly not trusting them not to try and rush the door.

“He’s trapped us!” The other woman hissed in anger.

“We need to go, now!” Millicent grabbed the woman by the waist and ran at the back of the greenhouse, smashing through and keeping running, even as the man screamed at them to stop. The woman who was clinging to Millicent’s front like a monkey was busy hurling hexes back at him to keep him from following as Millicent ran as fast as she could dodging in between the houses of a large housing estate that looked a lot like where her Guardian had used to live. She ran, and ran, and ran. Her legs pumping as hard as they could as the woman kept an eye out behind, guiding her away from danger.

The Twins had returned from a great night out in Amsterdam to celebrate another fallen soldier in the art of love. Katie Bell had held out longer than most, but she had eventually given in to settling down. They’d celebrated in high fashion, very high fashion. Still, they were pleased to return home at dawn, once more proving that they were still the fun going party animals of a decade ago, who said teenagers were the only ones who knew how to enjoy themselves. 

It was somewhat of a surprise for them to return to find the Alley crawling in Aurors. More so when the shopfront they had spent above and beyond to have fitted with the best indestructible charms, was smashed. 

“It’s awful, we’ve only just recovered and the bastards are at it again,” Ernest shouted from directly behind them, the twins wincing as the noise seemed to reverberate through their skulls.

“Now then Mr Bennigton, we’ll have no bad language here.” One of the Aurors that Tonks hung about with Delvis, Dervis, it didn’t really matter chastised.

“Where were you last night when the bastards were attacking? Mavis got hit in the head she did, and where were the bad language police then eh, supping on the teats of the taxpayers, that’s where!” Ernest started to get riled up, as Fred shrank into himself, George peering through the very large hole of the frontage to see the chaos inside.

“It were jest younglings Ernie, Mavis get hit wit a brick not a warnd, if’d were them lot back it would have bin warnds and death not a brick and a goose egg. Daft pillock.” Gertrude was hanging out of the window above.

“Younglings? I don’t think so, they sent bright lights up into the air and terrorised the good citizens whilst the pigs were out stuffing their faces like the scum tax stealing bastards they are.” Ernest was now spinning madly between Desomething and Gertie, bashing Fred as he span.

“Mr Bennigton, if you use language like that again I’ll be forced to fine you,” Desomething said patiently as Gertie cackled.

“You’d like that wouldn’t you. Picking on the little man, just trying to eke out a living whilst you swan about doing sweet Morgana le fay. Well, I’ll be talking to my representative about this. I’ll have you know I have a memory like a steel box and have your number, pig.” Ernest had his finger out, and not his wand which would certainly get him more than fined.

“Mr Bennigton, if you continue to use that word as a slur.” 

“HA! You’d like that wouldn’t you, well you can’t pig, because I have freedom of speech, Severus Snape fought for it and I’ll be cursed by the death-dealing bastards before I let you take it away from me.” Fred had started to creep away from Ernest. As Ernest managed to get into another standoff with the Auror’s for the sixth time this month.

“Leave off Ernie, you’ll wake the bairn.” Gertie lobbed a bucket of water out of the window, with Fred managing to dodge quickly enough not to get drenched. Ernest was not so lucky.

“Mr Weasley, Mr Weasley.” Fred peered at the colourful looking Auror through his fingers, his head now properly killing him after being so close to Ernest’s rantings. 

Granger should be shot for introducing a small set of the Alley to the joys of Muggle political beliefs. Ernest Bennigton had decided they were back in Thatcher’s Britain and never ceased to pick a fight with the law. He’d accused a community liaison worker of spying on him and had demanded to see his personal file. It was a running joke that Mavis was the only one allowed to come to the community meetings because Ernest would get irate and spend the entire time ranting.

“Hail.” Fred croaked, as George was busy trying to trace out the hole with his wand.

“We were unable to catch the perpetrators last night, and would like to advise you that it looks like you were the intended victims.” 

“You never catch anyone other than the hard workers, you let the fat cat bankers run about spreading filth everywhere, you let the villains run amuck but you pick on the little people don’t you PIGS!” 

“Mr Bennigton, I am forced to arrest you for causing a disturbance and using offensive language in a public place repeatedly. I will advise you of your right to silence, and advise that you try and do so.” 

“Were jest younglings playing,” Gertrude called down.

“Mr Bennigton reported lights being shot up and an attack. We do have to investigate.” 

“Ernie’s jest a sourfaced old pillock.” With that Gertrude slammed the window shut leaving the Twin’s no more the wiser.

“I think we are safe now.” Millicent had slowed down, gently placing the woman on her feet.

“Gabrielle Delacour, I am very pleased to make your acquaintance.” The very pretty woman reached up on to her tiptoes to press a kiss on each of Millicent’s cheek.

“Millicent Bulstrode,” Millicent replied, not returning the cheek kisses.

There was an awkward pause as both women stood staring at each other, Millicent just managing to resist the urge to squirm. They were in the middle of a housing estate, a muggle housing estate, Millicent with a pillow strapped to her back. The pair of them looking a state, before the blonde burst into giggles, Millicent reluctantly smiling at the absurdity of it all.

“Look, I can’t remember anything from last night after going to see a Professor. You?” Millicent asked. Gabrielle looked sheepish for a moment before shaking her head hesitantly. 

“Oh, well if you do remember anything at all?” 

“I shall let you know.” Gabrielle gave her a weak smile. “Until then, what shall we do?” It was a question that Millicent had been asking herself whilst running.

“I think we need to head to somewhere safe, but not Hogwarts.” Millicent didn’t want to explain why she didn’t want to head to Hogwarts if she could help it. Gabrielle didn’t look too keen on it either.

“I think we are near Fleur’s Bill’s mamam’s.” Millicent took a moment to work it through before almost cheering.

“You are wonderful, Matriarch Weasley will know what to do!” And she wouldn’t tell the Headmaster, which was the most important part.

“Millicent?” The two women had tried the Matriarch’s first to find it in a state of disarray. Fleur’s flat wasn’t much better, and the Auror’s crawling over the twin’s shop had sent the two women into a full panic. It was Millicent who had convinced Gabrielle that Percy was the better Weasley over the two youngest.

“Hi Percy,” said Millicent as the two women pushed their way into his cottage, slamming the door behind them.

“Gabrielle? While it’s nice to see you both, I wasn’t expecting you to visit on a Saturday morning.” He declined to comment as Millicent pulled the curtains closed downstairs, and Gabrielle was busy locking his back door.

“Have you heard from the rest of your family?” Millicent asked carefully, setting some of her more haggish wards on the front door.

“No?” Percy was getting more concerned as Millicent pulled him down onto the sofa out of eye-line of the window. 

“Do you have a way of finding out if they are ok without alerting anyone else?”

“What’s going on?” Percy stared at the young Hag, whilst Gabrielle looked slightly shameful in the corner.

“Uh, well, I don’t remember how we got from Hogwarts last night and we woke up in a greenhouse under guard.” Millicent slapped her hand across his mouth. “I know, it’s crazy and I don’t know how they got us out of Hogwarts, but it’s true.” 

“Uh, yes, yes it is.” Gabrielle half-heartedly agreed behind Millicent’s back with Percy getting more confused.

“I need to get back into Hogwarts without the Headmaster knowing what happened. We went to see the Matriarch because she’d be able to, but the house looked like it’d been ransacked. We tried Bill’s but it only looked a little better and the Twin’s have Auror’s crawling all over it.” 

Percy pulled away, now watching a very shamefaced Gabrielle behind the anxious Millicent.

“Perhaps you’ll permit me to see if Mother is in residence?” Millicent hovered, “You can hide while I do so if that makes you feel better?” 

Luna was busy organising with Wood the best way to eat breakfast as the only two who had refused to sober up. Luna, when asked, consistently reiterated that she hadn’t seen any harm coming to Millicent. Remus had begun to get heartily sick of the statement.

“Luna, I say this with the greatest amount of respect, Snape is going to kill us.” 

“She’ll be fine, honestly Remy,” Luna pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek.

“Don’t worry, from a legal standpoint he can’t kill us.” Wood grinned, pouring red sauce over his bacon bap.

“I don’t think that’s helping Wood.” Remus glared at the overly laid back soon to be former Auror.

“Ooh, the bacon looks crispy this morning.” Arthur perked up, as the Matriarch gave him a warning look. “I could have just one, for having been so good during the week.” 

“No bacon, the Matron warned you about fatty foods and salt!” 

“Ah, perhaps just half then, with some red sauce to cut through the salt?” Wood was busy making it for Arthur as Charlie looked ready to scarper at the first chance. 

“Doesn’t that sound nice dear, and he’s made it for me now, it’d be a shame to waste it.” The Matriarch growled at her husband as there was a head poking through the floo.

“Mum, are you missing someone?” Never before had Percy felt so wanted by his brothers than that moment.

“Please tell me you have her, have them?” Remus all but pulled the man through.

“If you mean Millicent and Gabrielle, then yes. Although Millicent is concerned about the state of the Burrow, Mum.” 

“Send them through,” 

“Oh yes, Millicent needs to come back to play!” 

“No, Luna, no!” Remus growled at her as Luna clapped her hands together.

“But she needs to eat, Remy…” She pouted at him as Wood nodded behind her back.

“Yeah, and not eat the little sods in first year. Because that’s what we were all really worried about.” Fleur gave Wood a withering look.

“Milly would never.” Bill exchanged a glance with Wood behind his wife’s back as Percy looked annoyed.

“Mum, am I sending them through here or do you want to collect them?” Percy asked as Fleur smacked her husband having caught a glance in the mirror of his betrayal.

“Send them through.” 

“Hogwarts?” The Twin’s had finally shaken off the Aurors and managed to seal up the shop. They’d stepped through into the Burrow to find it in a similar state to their flat. 

“Hogwarts.” 

They managed to avoid being drawn into conversation with a suspicious Headmaster, as the Matron pulled him off in the opposite direction. She was busy pointing away from Matriarch Weasley’s quarters, whilst the Headmaster was grousing.

“Remus?” George shrugged, it felt more and more like one of their antics than anything at this point. Remus wasn’t in, and nor was Wood who had been the second choice if only to give him grief about missing out on Bell’s final night of freedom. Just because Bell and Wood had weird tension after Bell had claimed that Wood had only become an Auror to stalk Flint.

“Luna?” George asked, catching scent of a very familiar smell.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *sniffles*

Luna’s rooms went from being full to, uncomfortably so in the space of just a few moments. Percy escorted Gabrielle through first, who’d tried to disappear claiming that she suddenly remembered she’d left the oven on. Millicent had followed quickly, looking highly relieved to see the Matriarch going as far to throw herself on to the smaller older woman.

The next thing to happen, as the Matriarch was gently patting a now distraught Millicent on the back was the Twins to enter the now packed room. Gabrielle looking very pale.

“I have an appointment I mustn’t be late for!” Charlie grabbed the fleeing Veela as Fleur glared at her.

“You have not. This is why you came to us to spend the weekend crying about that wretched man.” 

“Why is everyone here?” Remus asked, hoping to offload the drama elsewhere now that the Hag had returned. Even if she was uncharacteristically weeping over the Matriarch.

“Gabby?” Percy gave the pale woman a stern look, as Fleur was held back by Bill.

“I don’t remember a thing.” The only one to believe her was Millicent.

“We woke up trapped, and had to break away, it was awful!” Millicent continued as Gabby failed to say anything else. “We tried to go back to your home because Gabrielle knew where it was, but someone had broken in. And then your home too. And then when we saw Auror’s at the shop it was too much.” Everyone bar Millicent was now staring at Gabrielle who had tried to slither off the sofa.

“Perhaps Millicent should go and have a wash, and maybe some food whilst Gabrielle helps with the other details,” Arthur spoke up as it became almost intolerably tense. 

Luna volunteered as Millicent sniffled, though it was Wood who actually helped get the Hag out of the living space into Luna’s bedroom. It took Luna to get Millicent to release the pillow that she was hugging in exchange for the Matriarch. 

Wood was able to find his wand to cast a silence, as the others took the opportunity to quiz the very quiet Veela about what exactly they had been up to the night before.

“Spill.” Bill gave his sister in law a look, as Fleur was kept at arms length after she’d prodded her hard.

“We don’t remember anything.”

“Millicent clearly doesn’t, but that's hardly surprising the amount of alcohol and herb she consumed last night.” Remus let a little growl out as the girl continued to deny.

“Gabby, you will tell us everything now or I will tell everyone all those little stories you shared.” Fleur bared her teeth at her sister who shook her head.

“We don’t remember anything, nothing at all.” 

“Now dear, we all know that you are lying. However, if necessary we can go to Millicent’s guardian to get the veritaserum.” The Matriarch smiled sweetly.

“You can’t do that without grounds.” Gabrielle was now starting to panic as her sister gave her a dangerous look.

“I think kidnapping the ward of the Headmaster will be a suitable reason, unless you want to confess.” 

“I don’t remember anything after arriving here with Charlie.”

“Pull the other one.” Bill snorted as the Twin’s perched next to their mother with gleeful expression.

“We thought it was one of yours Bill, but from our side not Fleur’s.”

“Our children are well behaved, thank you very much.” Bill gave the pair of them a dirty look as Charlie grinned.

“Yeah, because Victoire didn’t have to be bailed out for breaching the peace at Yule.” Bill threw one of Luna’s cushions at his brothers head.

“She is very passionate - sit back down Gabby,” Fleur growled as her sister tried to take advantage again.

“My head hurts, I just want to go home.” For the first time she’d spoken, it had a ring of truth to it. Although she looked less than happy when Fred handed over a small vial with a smirk.

“Millicent said you were trapped?” Arthur asked with no little curiosity. 

“We woke up in a greenhouse being watched by a man.” The Twin’s grinned at that. “Millicent believed he had trapped us, so we broke out.” 

“Well Millicent isn’t used to peacetime so it’s understandable she’d be a bit jumpy.” The Matriarch said as Fleur went to berate her sister again.

“Did you not tell her?” Percy asked quietly, watching as Gabrielle turned green having downed the vial. There was a few minutes as the purging potion did its job. Gabrielle looking more wretched than ever as the room was freshened and the evidence banished away.

“It all happened so quickly, we woke up, and we ran. As soon as we could think we headed for help but Millicent didn’t want to return here.” Remus handed her a glass of water as the Matriarch gave her husband a knowing look. 

“What did happen last night?” Gabrielle looked at Arthur who was the only one with a kind expression.

“I - I was upset and Millicent was sympathetic.” She paused, “We went back to the house and from there Millicent wanted to see the Twin’s. You weren’t in but Millicent thought you were, we both did, until I saw through the upstairs window the upstairs was empty.” She rubbed at her grazed hands.

“How you did you even get in?” George asked as Fred snickered.

“Through the shop front.”

“Millicent did it.” Gabrielle mumbled, “We got a bit excited and Millicent managed to charge through after she lost a brick.” 

“Neighbour thought it was Deatheaters.” Fleur glared at her sister who was trying to merge into the sofa in shame.

“It was just fireworks, nothing more than that, honest!”

“And then what dear,” Arthur asked before Fleur could yell.

“I don’t really know why but we went to the Burrow. Millicent was hungry and we both wanted more to drink…” Remus thumped his head against the fireplace. “Um, we went to see if the Twin’s were hiding upstairs and when they weren’t we went off out through the back door.” 

She fell silent as the Twin’s snickered at the description. 

“Do you understand how dangerous it was?” Fleur poked her sister hard in the arm.

“No more than pouring alcohol down her throat!” Gabrielle managed to get a spark back before slumping again. “We thought we saw werewolves, except for they weren’t, they were cows.” Remus yelped as Charlie started to giggle behind his hand.

“You thought you saw werewolves?” Fleur was pulled back from poking her sister again.

“Millicent tried to save me by running at them.” Charlie now had his hand stuffed into his mouth as Bill had turned away with a smile twitching. “But she ran into a shed. And then she tipped a metal vehicle over. The cows then ran at me.” 

Remus was staring at the ceiling, breathing heavily as the Twin’s were cheering the story.

“Um, Millicent ran at the cows and rescued me, but we’d made such a lot of noise that people came to investigate. By that time it just seemed safest to run. We broke into a greenhouse to sleep because I don’t really remember why. And then when we woke up the poor man was staring at us.” Fleur stared at her sister in disbelief as Charlie was crying with laughter.

“It sounds like you had quite the adventure.” Arthur patted Gabrielle on the hand.

“I just want to go home, please can I go home?” Gabrielle asked pitifully. Fleur tried speaking but words wouldn’t form.

“I think perhaps it would be best if you did dear, do you need one of us to take you?” The Matriarch was giving her eldest son’s looks as they had given up all pretence of not laughing.

“She will pay for all the damages,” Fleur announced with Gabrielle nodding sadly.

“I’ll take her mum.” Percy offered the pitiful looking woman his arm, escorting her out with as his mother told him to return afterwards.

“Milly love, how are you feeling?” Luna was still pretty chilled from the herb, and Wood was busy lounging on the bed half asleep.

“I feel like I could eat a giant squid,” Millicent whined from underneath the shower, her stomach growling loudly.

“You poor thing, we’ll get you all nicely fed save you having to go swimming later and eating the Headmaster’s pet.” It didn’t take much longer for Millicent to creep out all wrapped up in a bath towel. It just covered her curves before crawling onto the bed to slump against the barely awake man.

“I don’t feel very good.” 

“I know Milly love, but we’ll get some food in you and maybe a potion or three and you’ll feel better I promise.” Millicent gave her a pitiful look as Wood positioned her so she didn’t have her elbow in his ribs.

“How about a nice nap?” He asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulder to stop her squirming more.

“A quick sleep while we get lots of food all for you.” Luna pressed a soft kiss on her forehead before sneaking out of the room to a suspicious-looking Remus.

“Milly’s just having a sleep, then she’ll have some food. She’ll be fine though, all better for tomorrow.” The Matriarch nodded pulling her husband who had managed to devour another bacon sandwich whilst Gabrielle had been lamenting. 

“Uh, Charlie will help clean up the Burrow mum.” Bill offered as Charlie scoffed. “As it was Charlie who lost them to begin with.” 

“You will both help, and then you’ll go help out at the shop too.” The Matriarch said sternly.

“Yes mum…”

“Luna, perhaps you hold off on more parties until Millicent has graduated.” The Matriarch gave Luna a polite smile as Remus nodded. 

“Don’t worry, Luna will not be feeding Millicent any more substances that the Headmaster would disagree with again,” Remus stated as Arthur waved his hand happily.

“Oh Severus doesn’t mind any of that, not to worry.” The Twin’s stared at their dad in gleeful amazement.

“Really Arthur, that bacon has gone to your head.”

Millicent was in a sorry state for the rest of the weekend. It took Luna, Remus and Wood to keep her hydrated, fed and pain-free. So that by the time Monday morning rolled round she wasn’t half dead. It had been hit and miss at times as Luna and Wood had forgotten on Saturday night how quickly the herb had hit Millicent’s system. Remus had not been overly pleased. Nor at the way that Wood and Millicent had chosen to sleeping curled up in Luna’s bed like lost puppies.

Still, Lady Zabini had granted Remus an almost accepting smile as Millicent greeted her fellow students with a regal nod.

The Headmaster had softened slightly, allowing Millicent a night a week to escape into the Forest as the NEWT prep started to pull at her sanity. There was still some slight concern from Wood that Millicent hadn’t once propositioned him, but Luna had petted him on the shoulder.

“She’s embracing her heritage, after the NEWT’s you will be back to dodging the Headmaster again.” Remus had also pointed out that Millicent had ignored Arthur as well, which Wood hadn’t considered to be as big a compliment.

There had been a moment of panic as three first-year students had vanished on a night that Millicent was listed as being in the Forest for. The Headmaster had been smug when she’d marched the three reprobates up to the head table, with the three sulking.

“Blighters were busy trying to find the Centaurs.” The three hadn’t denied it, and Luna had awarded Slytherin twenty points for Millicent not eating them when she could have. The Headmaster had changed it to twenty points for guiding lost students home. Millicent had merely rolled her eyes. He then awarded five more for not looking at him like she was plotting his demise.

The NEWTs came and went with little uproar for Millicent. For one Gryffindor who had gone into labour having hidden her pregnancy for the last six months, well Millicent had carried on with her exam. The Headmaster had awarded her another ten points for having not got herself into a similar situation.

It had been somewhat cheating for Millicent to have all of her results before Graduation. However, as the ward of the Headmaster and a hero in her own right, it was not something she’d been upset about. Full O’s across the board, sending a copy to Granger with a cheery note to say she’d beaten her score. Granger had sent a congratulations bouquet of Mandrake. It had taken the shine off.

Slytherin, who had accepted they had won the House cup months earlier, had been busy asking Millicent if she had anything else hidden. For next year. She had not, although she had talked to Luna about the chances of the Headmaster killing her if she stole the library again. He’d overheard, although Millicent had assured him he was supposed to have.

“You will find the walls to the library were reinforced, as was the ceiling and the floor. The wards have been updated, and there are other measures in place.” He’d given her the half quirk. She took it as a challenge for a future date. One that she would talk to the Twin’s about.

“As we draw an end to another successful year, I ask all of you to thank Auror Wood for teaching another passable year of Defence. As you are aware next year we will be gifted with Auror Weasley, who has almost as much experience.” Wood stood and bowed to the cheers and wails from some of the students.

“For those who are graduating, go out into the world knowing that you are not alone. That everyone member of this school stands beside you as you do your best.” Millicent rolled her eyes as her Guardian spouted off what the Matron must have written for him. She’d heard his original, which had been far different. It had included no fewer than three dunderheads. 

“Milly!” she’d done well to avoid Neville for the last four weeks, he’d been as swamped as she had been with the NEWTs. 

“Neville.” He’d looked like a puppy when she’d tried to use Longbottom to ease him away.

“I’ve spoken to the Headmaster who said he won’t accept a suit from me for another ten years.” He had a curious glint in his eye.

“Oh no.” Millicent couldn’t help it, and nor it seemed could Neville who burst out into laughter.

“Sorry, anyway, keep in touch? I know we weren’t best friends but, I feel like no one else quite gets it?” That she could understand. Even Luna who had done nothing but treat her as a friend, it was strange and unsettling. Not always down to her own body being different either.

“Yeah, and Neville if you ever need to hide a body.” She waggled her eyebrows at him.

“What are you doing later?” He asked grinning like a loon.

“Percy said he’ll take me out to celebrate, the Twin’s offered but the Headmaster said no. Or at least not until I was no longer officially his student.” She preened. It had been a rocky road this last year, but it felt like the beginning of a strong future. One where she couldn’t wait to learn how to be a true hag in every way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this turned into something far bigger - story of my life. I do want to do more snippets from this verse because I like the idea of Millicent actually hooking up now she's no longer a student.
> 
> I really enjoyed this one.


End file.
